"Training ground? Right now?"
Kakashi and Shisui both froze.
They had literally just finished discussing the threat from Kirigakure, and now Yuu wanted to start training?
Was he really that obsessed with grinding?
"I've been working on a new technique over the past few days, and I just came up with a few ideas. I need some people to help me test it out…"
Yuu glanced at them.
"If you two have something else to do, I can find someone else."
The moment Yuu said that, Shisui and Kakashi stopped hesitating and immediately agreed.
During this period, although Yuu had entered the Kage level far ahead of everyone else thanks to the galgame system, Kakashi and the others had also been steadily improving, and the differences between them were gradually becoming more pronounced.
Among them, Kakashi and Shisui had both approached—or perhaps already reached—the level of jōnin.
Kakashi in particular had become considerably stronger than his counterpart at the same point in the original timeline.
After Yuu's earlier advice, he had invested a great deal of effort into developing the Chidori Current series of techniques and had already achieved some initial results.
Under these circumstances, whenever he trained with Obito and the others, he basically had to deliberately hold himself back.
It was difficult for him to unleash his entire arsenal.
Only when sparring with Yuu, Shisui, or Uchiha Fugaku could he fight without restraint.
Shisui was in a similar situation.
The only difference was that he was much better at hiding his strength than Kakashi.
He had never displayed any ability related to the Mangekyō, so on the surface, he even appeared slightly weaker than Kakashi.
Even so, he treasured every opportunity to spar with Yuu.
The three quickly tidied up the table, then headed toward an open area behind the stronghold and took up their positions.
After all, it was already quite late.
If they fought inside the training ground within the stronghold, they would inevitably disturb people trying to rest.
So they could only move farther outside.
The Konoha ninja standing night watch in the nearby observation towers were already accustomed to this and simply watched from a distance.
On the other side,
Uchiha Fugaku, after calling Gekkō Shigure over, led six or seven Konoha ninja toward the patrol blind spots that had been circled on the map.
As the two teams disappeared into the forest outside the stronghold,
an entirely white humanoid figure poked its head out from beside a small road near Shakuka Town.
"Well, well… those Konoha guys actually noticed something."
White Zetsu muttered to himself.
"This is important intelligence. I need to report it to Lord Madara immediately!"
With that,
the White Zetsu sank underground again.
After exchanging information with two other White Zetsu nearby, it rapidly departed in the same direction Fugaku's group had taken.
…
Half an hour after Yuu and the others finished their small meeting.
"Screech—"
An albatross flapped its wings and spiraled down from the sky, entering a valley filled with mist.
Yagura Karatachi extended one hand and caught the bird.
He removed the secret message tied to its leg, then handed it to the accompanying intelligence squad to decode.
A short while later, the decrypted message was returned to him.
After reading its contents, Yagura narrowed his eyes slightly, surprise appearing on his face.
"Konoha may already have noticed our movements…"
When had that happened?
Yagura carefully recalled everything they had done along the way but could not identify any mistake.
When the individual squads traveled from the Land of Hot Water, they had avoided nearly every route where they might encounter Konoha ninja.
Even when entering this miasma-filled valley, they had chosen the period least likely to be investigated.
Logically speaking, they should not have been exposed this quickly.
However, the message had come from Kirigakure's Anbu.
Its secrecy classification was extremely high.
It should not be wrong.
So…
"Is this because of that 'White Reaper'?"
Had he noticed something?
Yagura pondered briefly, then turned toward the Kiri ninja beside him.
"Pass down the order.
"All squads are to heighten their vigilance and closely monitor their surroundings.
"If any Konoha ninja approach, report it immediately.
"If there is any situation that could result in our intelligence being exposed, you are authorized to kill first and report afterward!"
He paused.
"Also…
"the scheduled time of the operation may need to be moved forward.
"Tell everyone to prepare themselves. We cannot afford to interfere with Lord Mizukage's plans."
"Yes!"
The Kirigakure jōnin accepted the order and quickly disappeared into the hazy mist.
From where Yagura stood, he could vaguely make out the outlines of tents scattered throughout the fog.
Shadowy figures moved back and forth beneath the gray-blue mist.
Some were preparing food.
Others were patrolling and standing guard.
Just as Yuu and the others had seen on the map, this region really was filled with poisonous miasma.
Even the local inhabitants did not dare approach casually for fear of being poisoned.
But in the Land of Water,
environments like this were extremely common.
As a result, generations of Kiri ninja had already developed antidotes specifically designed to counter miasma toxins.
Some had even created secret techniques that absorbed poisonous miasma to strengthen their own bodies.
Of course, people who practiced the latter usually did not live very long.
So their bloodlines never developed into secret-technique clans like the Hōzuki.
Only occasionally would someone desperate for power learn those methods.
Incidentally, there were also quite a few Kiri ninja whose physical characteristics differed noticeably from ordinary humans.
Some had bluish-purple skin.
Some possessed mouths full of shark-like teeth.
A few were even born with gills inside their bodies.
These inhuman traits were also somewhat connected to Kirigakure's unusual environment.
They were organs that had mutated under prolonged environmental stimulation.
Back to the matter at hand.
After issuing the orders,
Yagura flicked his wrist and crushed the message in his hand.
Then he raised his head and looked toward the outside of the valley.
A faint trace of fighting spirit rose inside him.
"So we're finally approaching the moment when we'll meet, Konoha's 'White Reaper'…"
"Let me, Yagura Karatachi, see whether your strength truly deserves that name."
…
The night quickly passed.
Even by the time dawn arrived the next day, Fugaku's group had yet to send back any information.
They were probably still investigating.
That made sense.
There were several blind spots marked on the map, all located in regions with complicated terrain that were difficult to approach.
Although Fugaku's group consisted almost entirely of jōnin and even included Fugaku himself, a near-Kage-level fighter, thoroughly investigating every blind spot was still a considerable undertaking.
Yuu was not particularly worried.
Instead, he dragged Kakashi and Shisui back into another round of intensive training.
Obito joined them as well.
Kurenai and Namiashi Raidō also came over.
With their team leader, Nara Shikaku, stationed on the southwestern border and acting captain Asuma also absent, Kurenai's squad practically existed in name only.
Most of the time, they operated together with Kakashi and Obito.
After all, Yuu was serving as commander, while Rin's primary duty was medical work, so the two were frequently unavailable.
Thus, the arrival of the others was entirely expected.
Yuu simply had all five of them attack him together.
They were allowed to use whatever methods they specialized in—
taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, swordsmanship.
They could even freely discuss tactics among themselves during the fight.
As for the result…
"Ow!"
"Hiss… that hurts!"
"Yuu, you bastard…"
Only a few minutes passed.
Yuu stood at the center of the field, adjusting his slightly accelerated breathing.
Around him, five people were sprawled across the ground in various positions.
Kakashi and Shisui looked relatively fine.
They were merely breathing heavily.
Obito and the others were in far worse shape.
Obito was especially shameless, lying flat on his back with all four limbs spread wide, wearing an expression of complete despair.
"Haa… haa… Is it over already?"
"Yuu, seriously! You secretly got stronger again while we weren't paying attention!"
"I'm starting to wonder whether you're even human!"
"This is infuriating!"
Compared with him,
Kakashi and Shisui were much calmer.
Even now, they were analyzing and reviewing the battle.
"Was that Body Flicker that Yuu used just now?"
Kakashi frowned.
"The way he generated force felt different.
"That instantaneous burst of speed was far too fast. There was practically no time to react."
Beside him,
Shisui nodded and looked toward Yuu with a probing expression.
"That's right.
"And Yuu's strength was unusually great too.
"It almost felt as though his entire body had been forged from steel.
"It resembles Senior Might Guy's Eight Gates, but there are differences…"
Back when they were still in Konoha, Shisui had met Might Guy and briefly sparred with him.
Although the Eight Gates was still relatively unknown at this point, Shisui had recognized its power and memorized its characteristics.
Yuu listened to their discussion without explaining anything.
Ultimately, the Cell Activation Technique: Overload Pulse he had just used was still only at its first stage.
Two training sessions were not enough to earn the remaining six affection points and unlock the second stage.
The reason it had produced such an impressive effect was simply that Yuu's Constitution had risen considerably during the past few months.
The two factors together had produced an effect greater than the sum of their parts.
Of course, Kakashi and Shisui had not gone all out either.
If those two completely unleashed their strength, they would probably perform far more comfortably.
"Hey, speaking of which…"
Obito suddenly sat up and looked around.
Apparently remembering something, he muttered,
"Why hasn't Asuma come back yet?"
"He disappeared after returning to Konoha last time.
"How many days has it been now?"
"Don't tell me he got scared after fighting in the war and doesn't dare come back?"
"…Asuma probably isn't that kind of person."
Kurenai, as his teammate, spoke up for him.
"He doesn't even seem to like relying on his status as a member of the Sarutobi clan."
Kakashi nodded as well.
"Danzō's incident only happened recently.
"Lord Hokage may still have arrangements that he wants Asuma to bring back.
"For all we know, he might already be on the road."
"Tch. I still think he chickened out."
Obito curled his lip, refusing to change his opinion.
"When he gets back, I'm definitely going to make fun of him!"
As the group of teenagers chatted noisily back and forth,
Yuu said nothing.
He sat cross-legged nearby, apparently resting with his eyes closed.
In reality, his attention had already shifted toward the galgame system, where he was flirting and bantering with his entire "harem."
At present, Yuu had already accumulated nineteen wooing targets.
Eight of them had reached the maximum affection level of 100 — Hearts in Perfect Accord.
Quite a few others had reached Attachment.
Among them, there were three techniques whose affection levels Yuu cared about particularly.
The first was Monster Strength.
This technique was hopelessly addicted to gambling and demanded that Yuu play several rounds with her every day.
As a result, its affection had smoothly passed seventy-five and was now steadily approaching the maximum—
[Monster Strength affection +3. Current affection: 77/100 (Attachment)]
[Trait — Mad Gamble: When using Monster Strength, you may additionally wager 5–9% of your own chakra as the stake for a dice roll. Different results trigger different enhancement effects:]
[① Blank Roll — 35% chance: No enhancement.]
[② Small Win — 33% chance: Destructive power increases by an additional 75–150%.]
[③ Double Up — 22% chance: Destructive power increases by an additional 125–200%, with a critical-hit effect.]
[④ Sweep the Table — 10% chance: Destructive power increases by an additional 225–400%, with critical-hit, penetration, and splash effects.]
Compared with before, the third-stage Mad Gamble had undergone two major changes.
First, the amount of chakra that could be wagered had increased.
Second, the probability of a Blank Roll had decreased by five percent, with the difference being shifted into Small Win and Double Up.
That was a good sign.
After all, a forty-percent chance of getting absolutely nothing had been far too high.
If that could eventually be reduced to around thirty percent, Monster Strength would become much more stable, allowing Yuu to gamble for greater gains at a lower cost.
Another technique worth mentioning was Transparent Escape—
[Transparent Escape current affection: 75/100 (Intimate)]
[Trait — Phantom Haze: The concealment ability of your Transparent Escape is greatly enhanced. After activating this technique, your body transforms into an invisible and intangible "Transparent Escape chakra flow," perfectly blending into the surrounding environment. Sensory ninja below Kage level will find it nearly impossible to detect you.]
[While in "chakra flow" form, simultaneously activating the Hydrification Technique allows you to pass through obstacles.]
[Note: Concealment is more effective when your entire body is completely unclothed.]
Alright.
Transparent Escape was still obsessing over the idea that taking off his clothes would strengthen the technique.
Yuu obviously had no intention of satisfying her.
"The third-stage Phantom Haze specifically mentions the Hydrification Technique…"
"Could those two techniques form some kind of bond?"
It was entirely possible.
However, the Hydrification Technique had only recently entered his wooing list.
It would probably take some time before its affection reached the maximum.
So this hypothesis could only be verified later.
The final technique was Hatake Swordsmanship.
Two days ago, Yuu had sent out a shadow clone containing fifty percent of his chakra.
Its destination was the Land of Iron.
Its goal was to challenge skilled swordsmen and complete the final piece of the puzzle for Hatake Swordsmanship, allowing her affection to finally break through the last barrier and reach the maximum.
Judging by the time,
the clone might already have arrived.
After all, Yuu had asked Black Wing to provide transportation.
Flying to the Land of Iron only took a few hours.
However, the Land of Iron had remained isolationist for years and rarely interacted with the outside world.
Even inside Konoha, which maintained relatively decent relations with the country, there was almost no intelligence about its notable swordmasters.
So whether the shadow clone could successfully find a suitable opponent after arriving remained unknown.
The entire thing was essentially a gamble anyway.
There was no point forcing it.
For now, the more important task was consolidating everything he had already gained and integrating the newly unlocked traits into his combat system.
"…Hey, you guys should be rested enough by now, right?"
"Let's continue!"
Yuu opened his eyes and called loudly toward Kakashi and the others nearby.
~~~
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