Autumn was bleak, and dark clouds pressed down on the city.
Time passed for a few more days. The news coming back from the front lines was increasingly puzzling. The Iwa-nin of the Land of Earth, apart from actively bombing the supply lines at the beginning of the war, had completely disappeared.
Either they couldn't find an opportunity, or they were gathering strength. But intelligent people would think it was the latter.
Just like the chance encounter at the barbecue restaurant that day, Konoha quickly seized the time to recuperate. During this period, a large number of ninjas returned from the front lines, getting rest and summarizing what they had learned in battle, striving to become stronger.
But if you looked closely, you would find a strong irony. All those who returned were elites, while the cannon fodder remained at the border in a stalemate.
The Hokage's compassion was selective, or rather, people who were sentimental and universally loving could not become Hokage at all. Ninjas had to use their potential to earn compassion.
But these had nothing to do with Otonashi. His birth was not bad. If he had really been born in a commoner's family without any talent, even a senior "Hokage-ologist" would have found it difficult to survive.
On the vast frontal battlefield, human lives were just casualty numbers. Becoming a rogue ninja would be executed in minutes. There was no chance to grow.
He had previously played the Uchiha, and recently he had been destroying public property at the West River every day, and no one dared to come looking for trouble. After persisting for half a month, he had new gains.
"The Third Gate is very close. This technique is simply tailor-made for the Senju clan!" Otonashi panted slightly in the forest, surrounded by broken trees.
Abundant chakra reserves, innate physical fitness, and recovery ability. He couldn't imagine how terrifying the First Hokage would have been using this move.
The Eight Gates Release was essentially opening up the body's potential, and everyone's physical fitness was different. At least he had lived for more than ten years and had not seen many people stronger than the Senju clan.
As for why the ancestors didn't use it?
Ox—Dog—Dragon—Monkey—Dog—Boar—Snake—Tiger!
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Eight seals in one second. White smoke rose, and more than twenty identical Otonashis were already standing in the forest. They simultaneously drew the long knives from their backs, and the forest immediately flashed with cold light.
With this chakra, who needs a bicycle!
Dividing the chakra evenly into more than twenty portions still had no effect on Otonashi, but more would require the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique. But Kakashi didn't know this forbidden technique. With his chakra reserves, using the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique would make him exhausted to death.
"And there's no point in dividing too many of these." Otonashi also drew his sword and beckoned to the clones, "Come at me together!"
Shua—
The long knives were like chains. Each clone had its own consciousness and could use ninjutsu and swordsmanship. But unfortunately...
Otonashi raised his sword to block horizontally. The same force made him retreat slightly. Seeing Water Release coming from the left and Wind Release from the right, he kicked the long knife and kicked the clone's chest.
Bang!
With a muffled sound, the clone immediately turned into smoke and disappeared, and a feeling of fatigue was transmitted back to the body.
"The resistance to attacks is too weak, and it also transmits fatigue. If a thousand clones are destroyed at the same time, the fatigue transmitted back alone can cause sudden death!"
He slapped his hands on the ground, and an earth wall blocked the ninjutsu. Dust filled the air, and a sharp blade suddenly pierced out. The clone seemed to have gained Otonashi's combat experience and easily blocked it. But before the knife could fall, a hand had already grabbed its head.
Boom!
A perfect shoulder throw made its back touch the ground and turn into white smoke. A strong wind came from above, and Otonashi slapped the ground with both hands without looking.
Earth Release: Earth Style: Rising Stone Spears!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Countless earth spikes extended in all directions, and two more clouds of white smoke appeared. Without stopping, swordsmanship, ninjutsu, and even hidden weapons followed one after another. Otonashi moved in the forest, leaving only 'bang bang' muffled sounds.
After an unknown amount of time, the muffled sounds and the clashing of swords all disappeared, leaving only heavy panting. Otonashi knelt in the middle of a messy clearing, sweating profusely.
"The more you divide, the more useless it is. The practical significance in combat is no more than four. But it's very good for practice."
He closed his eyes, as if reliving the more than twenty deaths just now. The shadow clones could feed back pain, and also transmit experience back to the main body, which was hundreds of times more efficient than hitting a wooden target.
The Second invented this technique for reconnaissance and harassment. Dividing into hundreds or thousands to attack the enemy would require a huge amount of chakra...
Fallen leaves fell, and Otonashi lay on the ground to rest for half an hour. Feeling that the fatigue had dissipated, he was about to get up and use shadow clones to practice the speed of forming seals. Just as he sat up, his eyes narrowed, and he caught a glimpse of several afterimages appearing on the trees, and he pushed out three inches of his long knife.
ANBU?
Looking at the ninjas wearing masks and vests, Otonashi slowly sheathed his sword.
Slapping the Uchiha in the face was enjoyable, but confronting the ANBU was courting death.
"Hanyu Otonashi, you come with us." Without any emotional color, three ninjas turned and left.
No reason, no documents, no nonsense. As expected of Konoha's most powerful department.
Otonashi frowned, seemingly guessing something. He looked at the sky and then followed.
The group went straight to the core area of Konoha. It was exactly noon, and there were many people in the village. Otonashi, leaping in the air, saw Obito helping an old lady on the road. Their gazes met in the air. Otonashi didn't stop, but made a few mouth shapes, and then disappeared into the building.
What is he doing?
Obito saw Otonashi's disappearing back, thought for a moment, and quickly ran.
At this moment, Otonashi had landed on the ground. After adjusting his breathing, he followed silently. The ANBU didn't say a word, only the surrounding light became dimmer and dimmer. Finally, after turning seven or eight corners, they entered a corridor and stopped at the wooden door at the end.
"Wait here." The ANBU captain finally spoke his first sentence.
"Okay." Otonashi took a breath, wanting to see what these people were up to.
After knocking on the door three times long and twice short, a steady voice came from inside the room.
"Come in."
The wooden door opened, and the ANBU ninjas remained outside. Otonashi stepped into the room, and his eyes narrowed slightly because of the light of the electric lamp.
He saw a man with a straight figure standing in front of the window. His head was wrapped in gauze, as if he had been seriously injured. At this time, he turned around, revealing an ordinary-looking face with dark skin. His right eye was covered with a bandage, and one eye stared at Otonashi.
'Putting on airs, do you think I'm a child?' Otonashi sneered in his heart, but he separated his legs in a defensive stance and asked, "I wonder what this lord wants me to do."
He's just a brat after all...
The man also snorted disdainfully, sat down on the tatami mat: "Hanyu Otonashi, I am Shimura Danzo, one of Konoha's advisors. You don't need to be nervous."
Advisor? Oh, almost like an elder of other villages, also considered one of the upper echelons.
But... Shimura Danzo? Damn, isn't this the so-called source of all evil, the scapegoat of this world, a character as famous as Tokiomi Tohsaka?
Some memories emerged in his mind. Because he always confused Shimura Danzo and Shinpachi Shimura as relatives, some rumors were particularly profound.
"Then what does Lord Danzo want me to do?" The teenager removed his defensive stance, but his heart was truly on guard.
Saying one thing and meaning another, a necessary skill for old foxes.
No matter how calculating Danzo was, he couldn't have imagined what the thirteen-year-old boy was thinking. He asked solemnly: "Hanyu Otonashi, do you have the determination to give everything for Konoha!?"
A big hat was put on, and for the Senju blood on his body, there was only one answer.
"Yes!"
He answered seriously, but in his heart, he sneered at this person who was full of 'for Konoha'.
Do you deserve it?