Fumori Masaki hadn't received new orders yet, so he waited in Konoha Village while Uchiha Kagami prepared to leave with his team. Masaki decided to see him off at the village gates.
Kagami's squad consisted mainly of Uchiha clan members and a few soldiers from the Fourth Division. Given the limited resources of the Wind Country and the shortage of troops, Kagami couldn't take many with him, but he believed these few could hold off the Wind Country's forces.
This time, Kagami was fully armed. In addition to his usual sickle, he carried the gunbai—a sacred tool recovered after the Battle of the Valley of the End. It was a powerful weapon, one that Masaki believed might have saved Kagami's life if Madara hadn't taken it after his resurrection.
At the village gate, Masaki saw Uchiha Setsuna for the first time. The man had a cold face with a tattoo on the right side, and his demeanor was equally icy. It only took one look for Masaki to realize that Setsuna was a sinister and cunning individual. Taking him to the battlefield was a wise choice.
Masaki thought to himself that Uchiha Setsuna should perish on the battlefield. It would be better for both the village and the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha's struggle to integrate into Konoha stemmed partly from external factors but also from the presence of such hostile figures within the clan.
Turning his attention back to Kagami, Fumori Masaki reminded him, "Kagami, remember what I said…"
"I know, I know," Kagami responded with a smile. "Focus on defense and don't act rashly, right? I won't take any unnecessary risks. You just wait for the good news."
Masaki could tell that Kagami understood, so he didn't push further. "Take care," he said.
"Take care," Kagami nodded. He turned and led his team away, quickly disappearing from Masaki's sight.
"Well, until I receive new orders, I'll focus on developing this new technique," Fumori Masaki shrugged as he walked back into the village.
Over the past few days, Masaki had been refining his new technique. He wanted to maximize the sharpness of his wind attribute chakra, focusing it on the surface of his hand to create a weapon that could cut through anything. It would be something akin to the Rasenshuriken, but with a different focus. Instead of creating a wide area of destruction, Masaki sought a technique that concentrated its power on a smaller, more precise area, reducing chakra consumption while maintaining lethality.
However, during his practice, Masaki encountered a significant challenge—the same one that plagued Minato Namikaze when he developed the Rasengan. It was difficult to combine shape transformation and nature transformation at such an advanced level. Without precise control, the technique would fail.
Minato Namikaze struggled to add nature transformation to the Rasengan, which is why he never completed the Rasenshuriken. It wasn't until Naruto Uzumaki utilized shadow clones to assist in maintaining the balance between shape and nature transformation that the problem was solved.
Masaki knew he could use shadow clones as well, but that would negate the speed he desired. For this technique to be effective, it had to be executed swiftly, without the need for extra steps. This meant he had to improve his chakra control.
Despite his efforts, Masaki's attempts often failed—either the technique lacked power, or it destabilized halfway through execution.
It seems my current control isn't enough to condense the chakra into a shuriken shape, Masaki thought. He needed a way to stabilize the chakra while increasing its potency. The Rasengan offered some inspiration—its swirling chakra was held in place by the user's palm, preventing it from dissipating. Perhaps a similar approach, focusing on creating a stable point of contact, could help Masaki maintain the chakra's form even with added wind attributes. He also considered using hand seals to assist in shaping the technique; if it was only one or two seals, the speed loss might be acceptable.
As Masaki pondered these ideas, a sudden knock on his door interrupted him. Rimi entered the room, urgency in her voice. "Masaki, something's happened."
Masaki, who was practicing his technique with a wind chakra blade spinning between his hands, lost concentration at the sound of Rimi's voice. The chakra dispersed into the air, and he sighed in frustration. He had been close, but the interruption had caused him to lose his grip on the technique.
Still, he set his work aside and turned to Rimi. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Rimi handed him an intelligence scroll, her voice tense. "It's news from the Fourth Division. The Hidden Mist Village launched a surprise attack, but they were intercepted by the Fourth Division. Their forces are limited, and they've requested immediate reinforcements from the village."
"I see," Masaki said, rubbing his temples. Multi-front wars were always the most challenging, often leading to a spread-thin military. Konoha, still recovering and lacking the capacity to train new troops, faced difficult choices. The civilians were hesitant to send their children to the ninja academy, and a few months of training wasn't nearly enough to prepare them for war.
Masaki quickly decided, "Assemble the troops. We're heading out."
In the absence of higher-ranking leaders, Masaki was the most senior ninja in the village aside from Mito. Once the orders were given, the village mobilized swiftly. Masaki selected 36 shinobi to accompany him—those who were most suited for the task.
With his team assembled, Fumori Masaki led the charge toward the Fourth Division's position. From the scroll, he learned that the Mist's assault was led by the Kaguya clan, known for their brutality. This explained why the Fourth Division had called for reinforcements.
Masaki found it ironic that, not long after Mito told him about the peaceful Taketori family's connection to the Kaguya clan, he was now heading into battle against the latter. But as long as the Taketori family wasn't involved, Masaki didn't mind. He just hoped that none of the Kaguya warriors they faced had awakened the feared Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse).
According to Mito, even within the Kaguya clan, the Dead Bone Pulse was a rare and difficult ability to awaken. If they were fortunate, they wouldn't encounter any who had. But if they did, Masaki knew they would have to be extremely careful. The memory of Kimimaro's terrifying power loomed large in his mind, and it weighed heavily on him as he led his troops to the battlefield.
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Note:
I have edited chapter 1 to 5