A night had passed since Rinjin encountered Kagami Uchiha during their stroll through Konoha.
The next morning, Rinjin began training with a sleepy-eyed Rii, who stood in the courtyard rubbing her eyes.
The girl had already turned eleven and had graduated from the Ninja Academy some time ago.
It wouldn't be long before Konoha assigned her a jōnin teacher to take her on missions.
For now, though, this was the perfect time to sharpen her skills.
Standing in the courtyard, dressed in a black yukata and wooden sandals, Rinjin reached into his robe and pulled out two small scrolls, no larger than the palm of his hand.
"Here," he said, handing them to Rii, "one's the scroll for the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, and the other's for the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Study them when you have time."
Rii caught the scrolls deftly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She looked up at Rinjin and asked, "Big brother, are these techniques really powerful?"
At her question, Rinjin paused for a moment before explaining, "The Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu is very powerful. It lets you create tangible clones that can help you train, clean up, or handle other tasks. Basically, shadow clones can do almost anything for you."
Hearing this, Rii's large, beautiful eyes lit up with excitement. She looked at Rinjin expectantly and asked, "Big brother, can they help me study math? Can they do my homework for me?"
At her words, Rinjin rolled his eyes in exasperation but reluctantly nodded.
Seeing his response, Rii cheered and jumped for joy. She carefully and reverently placed the scrolls into her ninja tool pouch, as though they were treasures.
"What about this one?" she asked, holding up the scroll for the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
"That one's so you won't feel as much pain when you get beaten," Rinjin replied, his face darkening.
The smile on Rii's face froze instantly, and she shrank back, looking dejected.
Just as Rinjin was about to explain the principles behind the two techniques in more detail, a sudden surge of memories flooded his mind.
One of his clones stationed in the Land of Iron had been destroyed.
In the memory, Matatabi, who had been on vacation, was under siege.
Without a moment to lose, Rinjin gave Rii a quick instruction to train on her own. Forming a single hand seal, he disappeared from the courtyard in an instant.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique four times in quick succession, Rinjin arrived in the Land of Iron.
Not far away, a group of over thirty shinobi, following the commands of a short man, were launching coordinated attacks against Matatabi.
The ground was cracking apart as massive square blocks of earth rose continuously, blocking Matatabi's attacks.
Leading the assault was none other than the young Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.
He was relentlessly forming hand seals, slamming his hands onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
Instantly, enormous, heavy stone walls rose around Matatabi, encircling her completely.
At the same time, countless giant stone hands emerged from the ground and the walls, attempting to restrain her.
But Matatabi wasn't one to be easily subdued. Among the nine tailed beasts, she might not have been the fastest, but she was undoubtedly the most agile.
Her body, wreathed in blue-black flames, danced like a nimble spirit, dodging left and right while spewing massive bursts of fire from her mouth.
At that moment, Ōnoki slowly rose into the air, his voice booming with authority:
"Ninjutsu unit, prepare to restrain the Two-Tails for two seconds! I'll cut off her tails!"
"Yes, sir!" the scattered shinobi shouted in unison.
The next moment, they all began forming hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Dragon!"
Suddenly, several earth dragons erupted from the ground beneath Matatabi, their serpentine bodies writhing as they lunged toward her.
Meanwhile, a translucent, cone-shaped construct glowing with white light appeared in Ōnoki's hands.
Seeing this, Rinjin's pupils contracted slightly.
From the transparent cone in Ōnoki's hands, Rinjin could feel an overwhelming sense of danger.
If he took a direct hit from that, even he might not survive unscathed.
His mind raced as he quickly assessed the situation. Without hesitation, Rinjin formed a hand seal.
The Flying Thunder God Technique activated.
In an instant, Rinjin appeared atop Matatabi's head and shouted, "Kitty, jump!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Matatabi's tense nerves relaxed slightly. Without hesitation, she pushed off with all four limbs, leaping high into the air to evade the earth dragons writhing below her.
At the same time, Rinjin rapidly formed hand seals.
"Five Elements Seal!"
With a low growl, Rinjin pressed his hand firmly onto Matatabi's head.
In an instant, Matatabi transformed into a massive, cat-shaped mass of chakra and willingly entered Rinjin's body without resistance.
Seeing this, Ōnoki roared in anger, the cone in his hands immediately aiming at Rinjin.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A blinding beam of light engulfed Rinjin's figure in an instant.
The Iwagakure shinobi stared at the scene, their eyes filled with exhilaration.
After all, this was the legendary Dust Release, a bloodline selection technique far beyond ordinary bloodline limits!
As the white light gradually faded, Ōnoki scanned the area where Rinjin had just been, his brows furrowed tightly.
Had he succeeded?
Or had the target escaped?
The moment Rinjin had appeared atop the Two-Tails' head, Ōnoki had recognized him.
After all, the image of Rinjin silently infiltrating Iwagakure's council meeting was deeply etched into Ōnoki's memory.
Not far away, hidden among a pile of rubble, Rinjin rubbed his stomach with a lingering sense of fear.
He had nearly been obliterated.
If he'd been even half a second slower, there was no doubt he would've been vaporized by that attack.
The shinobi world was truly a dangerous place.
Even a casual encounter with the Third Tsuchikage had almost cost him his life.
Still, he couldn't let this slide. No one bullied his cat and got away with it.
In his mind, Matatabi's indignant voice rang out.
"Rinjin, go beat up that big-nosed old man! He's so annoying! I can't even enjoy my vacation without him harassing me. What a creep!"
Hearing this, Rinjin nodded slightly.
"Let's do it. No one bullies my kitty!"
Clapping his hands together, Rinjin drew on a massive amount of Matatabi's chakra.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In the blink of an eye, countless clouds of white smoke erupted around him, and over a hundred shadow clones appeared.
"Let's go! Flying Thunder God Technique!"
With a loud shout, Rinjin's main body vanished first, followed closely by his clones.
At the center of the battlefield, where a single Flying Thunder God marker had been placed, a horde of Rinjin's clones suddenly appeared.
Chaos erupted as the battlefield descended into utter mayhem, the air filled with the crackling of blue lightning and the splatter of blood.
Against Rinjin's numerous clones, the ordinary jōnin stood no chance.
Unlike the early days of Naruto Uzumaki, Rinjin's shadow clones weren't mindless cannon fodder.
Each clone was equipped with both the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, making them formidable opponents.
Seeing the chaos unfolding below, Ōnoki quickly descended to the ground, assessing the situation.
This wasn't a battlefield suited for large-scale jutsu.
And precision attacks? Against an opponent with such terrifying speed, they'd be far too slow.
Landing heavily, Ōnoki smashed one of the clones with a stone-covered fist before shouting, "Everyone, regroup around me!"
Hearing his command, the Iwagakure shinobi used their signature techniques to fend off the clones and gathered around Ōnoki.
At that moment, a square-shaped brick suddenly flew toward Ōnoki. Without a second thought, he tilted his head, dodging it effortlessly.
But as the brick whizzed past his ear, Rinjin's figure appeared in its wake.
With a resounding slap, Rinjin delivered a powerful blow to Ōnoki's forehead, sending him spinning.
In the next instant, Rinjin's main body reappeared at a distance, grinning mischievously.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With another shout, white smoke erupted once more, and countless clones vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Watching the battlefield devolve into chaos, Ōnoki's eyes widened.
In just a short skirmish, he had already gathered plenty of intel.
First, this mysterious individual was a master of sealing techniques, capable of effortlessly sealing the Two-Tails into his body.
Second, his taijutsu and speed far surpassed the limits of the Body Flicker Technique.
And third—most importantly—this man's space-time ninjutsu required a medium.
And that medium? It was the strange symbol etched onto the brick.
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