Just when Hiashi Hyuga thought he could finally relax, he was taken aback by Uchiha Akira's words and found himself growing tense again. Could Naruto Uzumaki have really learned the Rasengan, an A-rank jutsu, in just ten days? And to master it while traveling? How could that even be possible?
"Heh heh heh, Akira, I was planning to surprise you by using the Rasengan during an enemy attack, but you already knew I mastered it!" Naruto Uzumaki scratched his head with a sheepish grin, revealing his secret.
"Did you really master it?" Kakashi couldn't help but look at Naruto in astonishment. An A-rank jutsu, learned while on the move?
Meanwhile, the members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were equally stunned as they stared at Naruto. As former close allies of the Fourth Hokage, they understood the significance of the Rasengan. They also knew how difficult it was to learn.
But now? It had only been a short time.
So this is the son of the Fourth Hokage? His talent is truly monstrous!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Naruto couldn't help but smile proudly. He felt that all the hard work he had put into squeezing in time to train the Rasengan over the past few days had finally paid off!
Raising his hand, Naruto began to gather chakra in his palm. Soon enough, a fully formed Rasengan appeared in his hand.
"It really is the Rasengan!" Seeing the jutsu in Naruto's hand, Hiashi Hyuga and the others couldn't help but express their amazement.
He actually mastered this A-rank jutsu while traveling?
"So, Hiashi-sama, about the 10 million ryo?" Although Uchiha Akira had already known this from the Life Simulator, seeing Naruto successfully perform the Rasengan in person still brought him a sense of relief. He turned to Hiashi, reminding him of their bet.
"Sigh, a bet is a bet. I'll send you the 10 million ryo when we return to the village," Hiashi replied with a helpless sigh.
"What? We have to wait until we get back to the village?" Akira's expression fell. The sooner I get the money, the sooner I can do another draw, and the faster my strength will grow!
But now, he had to wait until they returned to the village?
"I can't just carry 10 million ryo in cash around with me, can I?" Hiashi said, half-amused by Akira's expression. As the head of the Hyuga clan, I'm not going to skip out on paying 10 million ryo!
"Fine, fine…" Uchiha Akira sighed in resignation. What else can I do?
"No wonder he's the son of the Fourth Hokage. His talent is truly extraordinary. It's no wonder Akira decided to bring him along to experience war early. It's not a bad idea at all," commented the members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Might Guy. They had originally been puzzled when Akira decided to bring Naruto along, thinking he might be a burden. But now, after witnessing Naruto's exceptional talent firsthand, they could accept him as part of the group.
With such remarkable talent for ninjutsu, and as the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, Naruto could prove to be invaluable in critical moments.
"Indeed, mastering the Rasengan is something worth celebrating, but I encourage you to continue learning and further developing this jutsu," Akira advised, recalling the powerful variations of the Rasengan in the original story, like the Big Ball Rasengan and the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
After all, the A-rank Rasengan was just the beginning.
"Further development? Got it, I'll do my best!" Naruto's face fell a little at the thought. I'm only seven years old, barely a year into the Ninja Academy, and now I'm expected to further develop an A-rank jutsu?
That's not just difficult—it's practically impossible!
After encouraging Naruto, Akira and the group began their patrol along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, searching for Sand Village ninjas and flexing Konoha's military might.
As they patrolled, Akira couldn't help but reflect on Naruto's progress. Thanks to my involvement, Naruto has managed to perform the Rasengan with just one hand, something he couldn't do in the original timeline. In the original story, Naruto needed a Shadow Clone to help stabilize the chakra, even when performing the Big Ball Rasengan or Rasenshuriken.
But now, without needing any inspiration from seeing a cat play with a ball, Naruto can create a Rasengan single-handedly. This should make the jutsu much easier for him to use.
Patrolling naturally fell to Hiashi Hyuga, whose Byakugan provided unmatched reconnaissance abilities. While the Sharingan had exceptional dynamic vision, it lacked the Byakugan's full-circle field of vision and superior detection capabilities. A fully developed Byakugan could provide 360-degree vision, making it impossible to approach a Hyuga unnoticed.
Also, the Byakugan had both telescopic and x-ray vision. So, even if you tried to blindfold a Hyuga, it wouldn't work.
The Byakugan was like an all-encompassing radar.
As the Hyuga clan leader, Hiashi's abilities had reached the level of an elite jonin, with the potential to reach Kage level in a few more years. His Byakugan could survey a vast area.
Using the Byakugan's abilities as the primary tool for patrol, Uchiha Akira's group searched the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
In the blink of an eye, four or five days had passed.
One evening, after finishing their patrol, the group gathered for dinner. Might Guy, sitting beside Uchiha Akira, noticed something on his mind. "Akira, you've seemed preoccupied these past few days. Is something bothering you?"
"Yeah, there is," Akira replied, glancing at Might Guy.
"What's on your mind? You can tell us," Guy encouraged.
"Do you remember when we returned to Konoha from the Cloud Village?" Akira asked after a moment of hesitation.
"Of course, I remember!" Guy nodded.
Suddenly, it seemed to dawn on him, and his expression changed. "Akira, do you mean we're going to be attacked again?"
Might Guy had witnessed firsthand Akira's ability to foresee future dangers, especially during Orochimaru's previous attack. So when Akira hinted at another attack, Guy took it seriously.
"Indeed, and this time, it will be an attack by Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sand," Akira admitted. It wouldn't help anyone to hide the impending threat.
Guy immediately gathered everyone together, and Akira informed them of the impending attack by Orochimaru and Sasori.
"Orochimaru? Sasori of the Red Sand? Why would they target us?" The group's expressions turned grim as they processed the news.
"Shikaku, do you have a strategy in mind?" Akimichi Choza asked, turning to Nara Shikaku. When in doubt, ask Shikaku—this was a common understanding in Konoha.
"If we weren't forewarned, this could indeed be very dangerous," Shikaku began, analyzing the situation. "Orochimaru is one of the Sannin and an S-rank missing-nin from our own village. And Sasori is a genius puppeteer from the Sand Village, known for his deadly poisons and for wiping out entire small countries by himself."
"If these two plan to ambush us, the consequences could be dire. Fortunately, we know about the attack in advance."
Everyone remained silent, focusing on Shikaku as he continued to assess the situation.
"Oh, and don't forget that both Orochimaru and Sasori are masters of poison," Akira reminded them, thinking back to his first life simulation where they had all been poisoned.
"Right, puppeteers are known for their use of poison, and Sasori is the best of the best," Shikaku agreed, nodding. "And Orochimaru, with his summoning techniques involving snakes, is also a poison expert. We'll need to be on guard against being poisoned."
Shikaku took note of Akira's warning and began formulating a strategy. If we know about the attack beforehand, we can turn this into an opportunity.
Yes, Orochimaru and Sasori were two of the most feared Kage-level shinobi in the world, but their team was made up of Konoha's elite. There's a real chance we can win this.
With that in mind, Shikaku outlined his plan, and the more he spoke, the clearer their strategy became…
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