The Chakra Pistol had now reached Version 3.0.
Version 1: Standard light bullets only.Version 2: Standard light bullets + Small Condensed Light Shots.Version 3: Standard light bullets + Small Condensed Light Shots + Photon Bullet.
Standard light bullets consumed very little energy. A single Dragon Vein battery could fire around one hundred shots.
A fully charged battery could fire ten Small Condensed Light Shots.
As for the Photon Bullet...
Its power was tremendous.
One shot alone consumed nearly half of an entire Dragon Vein battery.
Sara...
The daughter of Queen Sally of Loulan, now fifteen years old.
She wore the Version 2.0 Dragon Vein Armor, redesigned for mobility.
Beneath the white-striped uniform was a thin, lightweight suit of armor.
Its defensive power was lower than the soldiers' Version 1.0 armor...
But it no longer risked exploding if the battery was struck.
After all...
This version possessed no active abilities.
Its purpose was purely passive defense.
Her boots were also Dragon Vein equipment.
Dragon Vein Speed Boots Version 1.0.
By channeling chakra into the boots...
They borrowed Dragon Vein chakra to greatly increase movement speed.
The advantages were obvious.
Very little personal chakra was required to reach speeds comparable to Chunin...
Or even ordinary Jonin.
They also provided passive reinforcement to the wearer's legs.
The downside...
Their small size meant limited battery capacity.
They were designed mainly for travel.
Using kicks during combat consumed battery power rapidly.
A few strong attacks...
And the battery would be empty.
Even with only the pistol Sara had displayed...
The gathered Jonin were already stunned.
"That weapon..."
"...its power is already comparable to an explosive tag."
"Comparable?"
"I think the era of explosive tags may be ending too."
"The strength of Loulan..."
"...cannot be underestimated."
The monitoring room buzzed with discussion.
Many eyes quietly drifted toward Karura, Loulan's representative.
Even the Sand shinobi felt she looked strangely familiar...
Yet none of them could quite place where they'd seen her before.
The long violet beam gradually faded.
Sara quickly removed the depleted battery casing.
She slipped it into her equipment pouch...
Pulled out a fresh Dragon Vein battery...
Inserted it into the pistol's magazine...
Closed the chamber...
Then pressed the charging switch.
The weapon hummed softly.
Its energy was fully restored.
"Don't think you can run!"
While Sara reloaded...
Kaito took the opportunity to rewrap Ebisu's wound.
After using a simple Hemostasis Technique to stop the bleeding...
He looked back toward Sara.
Seeing the pistol fully recharged...
He took a slow, deep breath.
Closing his eyes briefly...
He suddenly opened them again.
"...Then."
"Let's begin."
A shuriken flew from Kaito's hand.
A symbol of the ninja.
Sara answered with a light bullet.
A declaration that the age of ninja had come to an end.
The two projectiles collided.
At that exact moment—
Kaito completed his hand seals.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Sara raised her pistol.
She intended to fire again.
But...
The high-pressure stream erupting from Kaito's mouth far exceeded her weapon's effective range.
Even the Photon Bullet...
Couldn't compare.
"Crystal Release: Crystal Wall!"
At last...
Guren made her move.
With one-handed seals...
A massive pink crystal wall appeared before them.
The roaring water jet slammed into it.
BOOM!!
Fine cracks immediately spread across the crystal.
Guren hurriedly grabbed Sara and jumped away.
The next second—
The compressed water pressure punched clean through the crystal barrier.
"...Is that..."
"The Second Hokage's Water Severing Wave?"
Hiruzen stared in astonishment.
Of course...
Kaito's version wasn't nearly as refined.
Tobirama compressed the water into an ultra-thin high-pressure stream from the very beginning.
Kaito's version only compressed it after the water was already flowing.
One was extremely difficult to dodge.
The other...
Still left enough time to react.
As Guren pulled Sara away...
She suddenly sensed someone approaching from her left.
She immediately raised her arm to block.
The next instant—
Kaito's spinning kick crashed toward her.
WHOOSH!!
BOOM!!
Using a nearby tree as a foothold...
Kaito accelerated with the Body Flicker Technique.
His chakra-enhanced kick landed with tremendous force.
Then...
He frowned.
"...A Crystal Clone."
"I'm over here!"
The moment the water stream obscured Kaito's vision...
Guren had secretly created a Crystal Clone.
While the clone pretended to flee...
She and Sara hid nearby.
Using Crystal Release Transformation...
They concealed themselves inside what appeared to be an ordinary boulder.
"Crystal Release!"
"Crystal Dragon!"
"Water Release!"
"Water Dragon Bullet!"
Kaito reacted instantly.
Four hand seals.
Water surged upward around him.
A roaring Water Dragon formed almost immediately.
Moments later...
The transparent Water Dragon collided head-on with Guren's pink Crystal Dragon.
The two dragons twisted around each other.
The Water Dragon bit down on the Crystal Dragon's neck.
Guren smiled confidently.
"So..."
"This Konoha Genin never expected..."
"...that my Crystal Release can corrupt your Water Release."
No sooner had she spoken—
The Water Dragon's jaws began crystallizing.
Crack...
Crack...
Its body rapidly transformed into crystal.
"...Crystal Release."
"So that's its power."
Kaito looked serious.
Inside his mind...
Kaguya could no longer tolerate what she was seeing.
Within the mental world...
She shouted furiously.
"What exactly are you doing?"
"Surely..."
"...you're not planning to lose to a little girl like this?!"
Kaito ignored her completely.
Instead...
He calmly changed tactics.
A kunai wrapped with an explosive tag flew through the air.
"Then..."
"Will Fire Release work instead?"
WHOOSH—
BOOM!!!
The explosive tag detonated.
Flames engulfed the crystal.
The violent vibration produced by the explosion spread throughout the crystalline structure.
Countless fractures instantly appeared.
"...I see."
"So..."
"...sound vibrations are your weakness."
Kaito had never told Guren about Crystal Release's flaw.
He had intended for her to discover it herself.
Apparently...
She had never encountered anyone capable of exploiting it.
Which made this...
A valuable lesson.
"H-How..."
"My Crystal Release..."
"...how can it have such a weakness..."
Guren stared blankly at the shattered crystal.
One explosive tag.
Just one...
And her technique had nearly collapsed.
She looked completely devastated.
"Guren!"
"Pull yourself together!"
Sara hurried over to comfort her.
Then...
She noticed Ebisu rushing toward them.
Without hesitation...
She raised the pistol.
Bang!
Ebisu's expression changed.
But—
The light bullet passed straight through him.
"...What?"
Sara blinked.
Then...
She suddenly felt movement beneath her feet.
Two hands burst out from underground—
They grabbed her ankles.
"AHHHHH!!"
Sara was dragged straight beneath the earth.
A moment later...
Ebisu emerged from another patch of ground nearby.
He clutched his injured right arm.
"...Damn."
"...That was still too much for me."
Before he could relax...
Guren recovered.
Several hand seals later...
She created two Crystal Clones.
Both rushed toward Ebisu.
Crystal blades formed beneath their right forearms.
They attacked simultaneously.
Meanwhile...
The real Guren hurried to rescue Sara.
Then—
A kunai suddenly flew toward her.
She instinctively dodged.
"...Missed?"
She glanced upward.
Kaito was still standing in the trees.
So she paid it little attention.
Then—
POOF!
The kunai exploded into white smoke.
A sweeping kick emerged from within.
Guren hurriedly retreated.
It was Kaito.
The "kunai" had actually been Kaito transformed with the Transformation Technique.
His follow-up attacks came one after another.
Sara could only struggle underground by herself.
This was where the difference between true ninja...
And ordinary chakra users became obvious.
A trained ninja could reinforce their body with chakra...
And easily burst out of the earth.
Even seven-year-old Guren...
Who had only trained for two years...
Could do it effortlessly.
Sara couldn't.
She had started learning chakra much later.
At Loulan's Knight Academy...
Most lessons focused on scientific ninja tools...
Physical training...
And basic chakra control.
Only a little over a year of education.
Unless someone possessed an extraordinary bloodline...
It was nearly impossible to instantly become a competent ninja.
Even Sasuke...
After graduating from the Ninja Academy...
Would struggle to escape a technique like this if he'd already exhausted much of his chakra.
Elsewhere...
Kushina had entered the trap field Kaito's team had prepared.
Trap after trap activated.
She was forced to stop repeatedly.
Finally...
She expanded the range of her Kagura Mind's Eye.
One by one...
Every hidden trap revealed itself.
Then...
Her sensory technique picked up Guren and Sara's situation.
"...Not good!"
"Guren and Sara are in danger!"
She immediately abandoned the pursuit...
And turned back.
Not far away...
Kaito's Shadow Clone had just placed the exhausted Natsu beside a tree.
Watching Kushina retreat...
He smiled.
"...She left."
"Natsu."
"Rest here for a while."
"I'll be back."
The clone raised one hand...
Preparing to dispel itself.
Suddenly—
Natsu grabbed his sleeve.
"...Um..."
"...Could you..."
"...not leave me alone?"
The Shadow Clone hesitated.
While she looked away...
He quietly activated his Chakra Eyes.
The sections of her body touched by the Adamantine Chains...
Still contained abnormal chakra.
It continued disrupting her chakra pathways.
In other words...
At this moment...
Even a physically strong ordinary adult could overpower her.
"...Alright."
The clone wasn't in any hurry.
It was rare for him to enjoy a little freedom outside the original.
He might as well keep the little girl company.
He deactivated his Chakra Eyes before she noticed.
Then quietly sat beside her.
Silence lingered between them.
Eventually...
Natsu spoke first.
"Kaito-senpai..."
"...Can I ask you something?"
"Why..."
"...don't you want to become a Chunin?"
She had watched him for years.
With his strength...
And his countless Chunin Exams...
There was no way his repeated "mistakes" were genuine.
Falling over.
Stepping into traps.
Falling into rivers.
Only inexperienced rookies did things like that.
Kaito remained silent for a long time.
Finally...
He looked toward the forest canopy.
"Everyone..."
"...grows differently."
"For me..."
"The meaning of the Chunin Exams..."
"...changed a long time ago."
"Now..."
"I simply enjoy watching young leaves..."
"...like all of you..."
"...grow into towering trees."
"...Senpai..."
"I understand now."
Natsu smiled softly.
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
Kaito:
"..."
You understood what exactly?
The truth was much simpler.
After spending too long in high-ranked matches...
Sometimes...
You just wanted to stomp beginners.
Showing off your skills...
Getting called "Senpai"...
And enjoying the atmosphere without revealing your true strength.
That was all.
"So..."
"Senpai is really such a kind person..."
Natsu thought to herself.
Despite possessing power equal to a Jonin...
He cared nothing for fame...
Or promotion.
Instead...
He preferred watching the village's younger generation grow stronger.
Where could you ever find another senior like him?
Feeling tired...
She gently leaned against Kaito's shoulder.
"...Senpai."
"...I think..."
"...I'm starting to like you."
"...???"
Kaito's Shadow Clone looked down at her.
Original...
I think I caused another problem.
At her age...
Mikoto's probably going to arrest you herself.
Ever since Blackmaru had spread rumors about him and Yugao...
The original had been mercilessly scolded by both Mikoto and Nono.
Granted...
They had secretly apologized afterward.
Still...
The clone couldn't shake the feeling...
That the two women had intentionally helped spread Kaito's reputation as Konoha's biggest playboy.
Anyway...
Good luck, Original.
I swear...
I didn't do anything!
Meanwhile...
Kushina finally arrived in time to rescue the badly beaten Guren.
One side of Guren's face was visibly swollen.
Courtesy of Kaito.
"I'm going..."
"...to beat you flat!!"
The little girl shouted with tears in her eyes.
Kushina was furious.
Kaito remained perfectly calm.
A master disciplining his disciple...
What's wrong with that?
Besides...
If I'd really gone all out...
A swollen cheek would've been the least of her problems.
"Weakness..."
"...is the original sin."
"I was once weak as well."
"Don't give me that!"
"You bullied Guren and Sara!"
"I'll make you pay!"
Kushina gathered chakra into her fists.
With her immense physical enhancement...
Her punches rivaled Tsunade's monstrous strength.
She exploded forward.
Her fist flew straight toward Kaito's face.
Kaito bent backward with astonishing speed.
At the same time—
A spatial portal opened beside Kushina.
An Adamantine Chain shot out at point-blank range.
Kaito's eyes widened.
A few strands of black hair drifted to the ground.
Had he reacted even a fraction slower...
That chain would've pierced his forehead.
"...You're ruthless."
More chains followed.
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Without giving him a chance to speak...
The remaining chains rained down.
From every direction.
They skewered Kaito's position.
Against an ordinary Genin...
Or even a weak Chunin...
The fight would've already ended.
"...It's over."
Kushina's expression remained cold.
She felt no guilt whatsoever.
POOF!
White smoke exploded.
The pierced "Kaito" became a log.
Substitution Technique.
Kushina instantly rolled aside...
Avoiding a spinning shuriken.
THUNK!
It embedded itself into a nearby tree.
The next instant—
Kaito descended from above.
His foot crashed downward.
BANG!
Kushina rolled away again.
Dust billowed between them.
She breathed heavily.
After repeatedly using Adamantine Chains...
And enhancing her body...
Her chakra reserves were nearly exhausted.
Sara...
Still furious...
Raised her freshly recharged pistol.
"Photon Bullet!"
Without waiting for the dust to clear...
A purple beam pierced straight through the smoke.
A dull impact echoed.
Guren's face paled.
She hadn't managed to stop Sara in time.
The beam faded.
Inside the smoke...
Someone dropped to one knee.
"Brother Kaito!!"
Ebisu, who had finally destroyed one Crystal Clone...
Was immediately captured by the second.
Crystal blades rested against his neck.
Behind his sunglasses...
Tears streamed down his face.
"Why..."
"Why did this happen..."
"This..."
"...is the price of opposing Loulan."
Kushina withdrew her chains.
Breathing heavily.
The smoke slowly dispersed.
Kaito knelt there...
Missing part of his body.
Blood poured from his mouth.
"T-This..."
"Impossible..."
Guren was completely stunned.
So was Karura inside the monitoring room.
How could Lord Kaito possibly get hit by something like that?!
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
Then smiled knowingly.
"...As expected of Kaito."
"His use of Clone and Transformation Techniques..."
"...has already reached perfection."
The puddles of water beneath the kneeling "Kaito" revealed the truth.
The "injured Kaito"...
Was merely a Water Clone...
Disguised using the Transformation Technique.
At the same moment—
Slash!
A Crystal Clone's face was cut open from below.
Its body instantly lost balance.
It reverted into pure crystal.
"Kaito!"
"You're alive!"
Ebisu shouted excitedly.
Kaito sighed.
Couldn't you have kept quiet...?
That single shout...
Immediately drew Kushina and the others' attention.
"...No way."
"...It was all a trick?!"
Kushina finally sensed the truth.
"You..."
"...You actually toyed with us!"
When women truly got angry...
They could be every bit as terrifying as men.
Six silver chains shot toward Kaito from every conceivable angle.
Grabbing Ebisu...
Kaito dodged repeatedly.
The ground beneath them was riddled with holes.
"...This..."
"...is why bloodline users are monsters."
"I'm honestly jealous."
Inside his mind...
Kaguya was speechless.
She simply couldn't understand him.
A man powerful enough to suppress even her...
Yet willingly playing around with three children.
"Explain."
"With your strength..."
"...you could defeat them instantly."
"So why?"
Kaito ignored her.
He didn't even have time to answer.
Six Adamantine Chains...
Even many Uzumaki would be ashamed they couldn't produce that many.
Back in the monitoring room...
Shinichi sighed.
"As expected of the Clan Head's daughter."
"At such a young age..."
"...she can already summon six chains."
Even he...
As a Special Jonin...
Could only produce four.
And because the Adamantine Chains consumed enormous chakra...
He preferred relying on traditional Uzumaki sealing techniques during real battles.
They were far more efficient.
Kushina showed no mercy.
Every chain aimed to kill.
When one attack failed...
The chains rose into the air once more.
All six descended simultaneously.
Kaito grabbed Ebisu again...
Barely avoiding them.
One sleeve was torn open.
A Heaven Scroll slipped from inside.
"...Damn."
He reached for it instinctively.
More chains shot toward him.
He had no choice but to twist away.
Stepping on one chain...
He used it as a foothold...
Launching himself in another direction.
That...
Had been his true objective all along.
He had failed...
The Chunin Exam.
Again.
After the battle...
Two members of Kaito's team had lost all ability to fight.
Kaito himself claimed his chakra had been "completely exhausted."
Once they escaped Kushina's pursuit...
They fired a distress flare.
ANBU quickly arrived.
After hearing what had happened...
They escorted the three from the Forest of Death.
On Kushina's side...
Her chakra had also been drained almost completely.
She leaned weakly against a tree.
Covered in sweat.
This time...
She had truly emptied every last drop.
"So..."
"That's Kaito."
"The Black Phantom of the Second Shinobi War..."
"Konoha's Eternal Genin."
She had fought with everything she had.
Yet...
She hadn't managed to injure him even once.
Sara stared blankly.
"...Is he really just a Genin?"
"He looked stronger than most Chunin..."
"...and even quite a few Jonin."
Guren smiled bitterly.
"...Maybe..."
"...Konoha's Eternal Genin are all monsters."
Kushina nodded.
"There are only three Eternal Genin in Konoha."
"Ordinary Genin eventually become Chunin..."
"...or leave the profession."
"But these three never advanced."
She recalled the Root intelligence files.
"The first..."
"Might Dai."
"A taijutsu specialist."
"He created an extremely dangerous forbidden technique."
"The second..."
"Maruboshi Kosuke."
"And the third..."
"...Kaito."
The girls silently remembered the name.
Whoever you provoke...
Never provoke Konoha's Eternal Genin.
Meanwhile...
Their Chunin Exam continued.
As for Kaito's team...
They had already left the examination grounds.
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