Another three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Apart from carrying out daily patrol and sentry duties, Sora also summoned Tenji from time to time.
The first reason was to inquire about the well-being of Tenji and the Small White Tiger.
The second was to deepen their bond while continuing to have it consume his "dragon blood" to strengthen its physique.
However, because they were in a warzone, Sora did not choose to use his vital essence blood, but his ordinary blood instead. Each time he summoned Tenji, he would also have it take back a small bottle containing his blood for the Small White Tiger to consume.
Most of his remaining energy was invested into cultivation.
Opening the Eight Gates required an extremely strong physical constitution as support. More than a year had passed since he first opened the Fifth Gate, the Gate of Limit. He was still unable to open the Sixth Gate, the Gate of View. Therefore, Sora never neglected his daily basic physical training.
Another ability he focused on training was sensory perception. Currently, his single-direction sensory range had reached about two and half km. Although it was still far from the freakish level of the "Mind's Eye Of Kagura," Sora was quite satisfied, and this range was still steadily expanding.
During this period, Sora could clearly feel Tsunade's condition worsening.
Her hemophobia not only did not improve, but because she continuously stayed on the fringes of the battlefield, it became more severe.
Sometimes, merely seeing a bit of dark red seeping through a bandage, or smelling a faint trace of blood in the air, would make her breathe rapidly, requiring Shizune to support her so she could stand steady.
She spent more and more time inside the main command tent, hardly ever going outside anymore. All her orders were relayed through Shizune.
'It seems the time for Tsunade to leave Konoha is truly not far off.'
'The psychological trauma from continuously losing important people, coupled with witnessing the ruthless bloodshed of war firsthand, has pushed her almost to her limit. Konoha, or rather this shinobi world, has become a painful cage for her.'
Sora silently observed all this, understanding it clearly in his heart.
He did not have many feelings about it. Everyone had their own choices and paths.
...
And during these three months, something also happened that Sora was unaware of.
Near the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, within a dense forest.
"Heh! Heh! Ha!"
Might Duy's energetic shouts echoed through the woods.
He wore his signature green jumpsuit and was carrying out a simple patrol mission.
For him, this kind of solo mission was the perfect time for "youthful burning."
"Thirty more kilometers of patrol route left! After finishing that, add five hundred handstand walks! This is youth!"
He cheered himself on, his feet moving like the wind, his speed astonishing.
Just as he passed through a relatively low-lying and hidden valley, a sudden change occurred!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four figures flashed out without warning from the surrounding treetops and behind rocks, instantly surrounding him.
All four wore dark-colored combat attire and plain masks, with no markings that could reveal their identities. They looked like a band of wandering rogue ninja.
But their movements were coordinated and uniform, their auras focused, their eyes sharp. Clearly, they were well-trained, definitely not a disorderly mob.
The leader, whose aura was the most formidable, had strength clearly at the Jonin level.
He stared coldly at Might Duy, his voice raspy as he spoke, "Might Duy? Come with us."
Might Duy stopped, scratched his head which resembled a watermelon rind, looking confused.
"Huh? Who are you? Do you need something from me? I'm currently burning my youth on a mission right now, I'm very busy!"
That Jonin's eyes turned cold, he couldn't be bothered with further talk.
According to the intelligence, the target was just a not-too-bright Chunin. A swift resolution was the way to go.
"Move! Try to capture him alive!" he barked in a low voice.
His three subordinates, at the Tokubetsu Jonin level, immediately moved! Two charged from the front holding kunai, their speed like lightning!
The other quickly formed hand seals.
"Doton, Doryōdanā!"
The ground swelled, earth rapidly closing in, attempting to trap Might Duy in place.
"Whoa! Attacking so suddenly? That's not very youthful!"
Might Duy shouted. Facing the assault, he seemed flustered, but his eyes instantly became intensely focused in that moment.
Intuition honed from long periods operating on the fringes of battlefields told him, these four people... were strong! And they carried clear killing intent!
Though usually carefree, Might Duy's combat intelligence was not low. Facing the frontal assault of two Tokubetsu Jonin and the closing earth prison, Might Duy made the most direct response!
"Hachimon Tonkō, Roku Mon, Keimon, Kai!!"
Boom!!!
A violent surge of green energy steam erupted from Might Duy's body like a volcanic eruption!
The powerful shockwave directly shattered the half-formed earth prison!
The two charging Tokubetsu Jonin were forced to a halt by this sudden terrifying pressure, their eyes filled with shock and terror!
"What?! This pressure...?!"
The leading Jonin's pupils constricted sharply, alarm bells ringing loudly in his mind! The intelligence was seriously flawed! This was absolutely not the power an ordinary Chunin should possess!
"Now is not the time for daydreaming! Youth does not permit hesitation!"
The moment Might Duy finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet exploded, and his figure instantly vanished!
"So fast!!"
That Jonin only had time to see a green afterimage!
In the next instant, Might Duy appeared in front of one Tokubetsu Jonin, delivering a simple, straightforward straight punch!
Thump!!!
That Tokubetsu Jonin had no time to react at all. His sternum shattered instantly, blood spewing wildly. His body flew backward, crashing through several large trees before slumping limply to the ground, life and death unknown.
Instant kill!
The other Tokubetsu Jonin was scared out of his wits, turning to retreat, but Might Duy was faster!
Might Duy's fists swung at a speed impossible for the naked eye to follow. The pressure from his punches intensely rubbed against the air, generating countless clusters of flames resembling a peacock spreading its tail, blanketing the other Tokubetsu Jonin and the earth-style ninja forming seals in the distance!
This was the embryonic form of one of Guy's later signature moves, "Morning Peacock!"
Boom boom boom boom!!!
Dense explosions echoed through the valley. Flames consumed everything. That Tokubetsu Jonin attempting to flee and the earth-style ninja didn't even have time to scream before being completely engulfed by this violent onslaught.
In the blink of an eye, three Tokubetsu Jonin, completely annihilated!
Only the leading Kumogakure Jonin remained, dumbfounded, staring at the green figure before him like a demon god descending, his mind blank.
'Wh... What kind of joke is this?!'
'Is the Intelligence Division eating shit?! Where is this a Chunin? The chakra and combat power bursting out is already comparable to an Elite Jonin!'
"Your turn! Obstacle to youth!"
Might Duy didn't care what the other was thinking. After dealing with the underlings, he immediately locked onto the last Jonin.
That Jonin's soul nearly fled in terror. Where would he dare keep any thought of capturing alive? He turned around, pushed his speed to the limit, and fled madly!
"Don't think about escaping! Youth does not permit giving up halfway!"
Might Duy roared, his figure transforming into a green lightning bolt again as he gave chase.
A few minutes later, a short, sharp scream came from deep within the forest, followed by silence.
Might Duy deactivated the Eight Gates, white steam rising from his body. He looked at the motionless Kumogakure Jonin lying on the ground and scratched his head.
"Really, have wandering ninja near the border gotten so strong lately? Good thing Might Duy's youthful passion is even stronger!"
He carefully checked, confirming all four had lost their vital signs, and there was nothing on their bodies that could prove their identities.
"Hmm, seems professional, deliberately hiding their identities. Whatever, never mind, the mission is important! Still have to continue the patrol!"
Thick-skinned Might Duy did not delve into the true origins of these "wandering ninja," treating it merely as a relatively intense skirmish.
He simply dealt with the scene, then patted the dust off his clothes, and once again set off on his patrol route full of vigor, humming an off-key "Song of Youth."
He had no idea that he had casually eliminated an elite Anbu squad specially dispatched by Kumogakure to target him and lure Sora out.
And he certainly wouldn't know that this "unintentional" outburst of his would bring what kind of shock and confusion to the Kumogakure higher-ups, and what kind of impact it would bring to Sora, far away on the battlefield in the Land of Earth.
Kumogakure's fishing plan, failing before achieving anything, had kicked an iron plate harder than imagined, even before Kirigakure did.
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