Just two days later, within the command center of the Konoha southern front, Jiraiya stared blankly at the ceiling, muttering to himself.
"I'm such a fool... truly..."
He had known that the Uchiha clan was an emotional bunch, but he never anticipated just how much power they could unleash under intense emotional stimulation!
The Sharingan was an exceedingly idealistic force. The greater the emotional stimulus, the more power the eyes feed back.
That's the Uchiha for you! While ordinary ninjas only need to focus on cultivating chakra, the emotionally charged Uchiha have much more to contend with.
Now, receiving long-awaited news about his close mentor and friend, Shisui's emotions skyrocketed to the limit! Even he himself might not have realized that, in this timeline, the influence of Aizen—the mentor of his soul—had come to rival the weight of the village and his family in his heart.
A truly sinful man…
As a result of his extraordinary performance, the intensity of the southern front war escalated sharply.
Everyone was dragged into the fray!
Jiraiya, meanwhile, was so worried his hair seemed to dry out.
In contrast, far to the north, in the ninja world's northern territories, Shin was recently enjoying one pleasant surprise after another.
Two days had passed, and yet again, Ayumi brought back good news.
Transforming from her cat disguise back to her natural elephant form, she carefully extracted a scroll from her messenger pouch with her trunk and handed it to Shin.
"Shin, this is a gift from Shisui's cat summon~"
Shin accepted it with suspicion. "What's inside?"
Ayumi flapped her ears thoughtfully, her trunk curling as she recalled the details. "It's supposed to be insights on Ice Release training. That teary-eyed Uchiha specifically snatched it from Kiri for you."
Shin was stunned.
Was this really happening?
At present, Kiri was still under the Third Mizukage, with Yagura yet to take power, and Obito still chasing Rin around. The Bloodline Purge that would decimate Kiri's clans had not yet occurred.
So, it was still possible to encounter quite a few Ice Release ninjas from the Yuki clan on the southern front.
But even so, obtaining the treasured training notes of such a clan wouldn't have been easy.
Shisui must have gone to great lengths to acquire this scroll.
For a moment, Konan and Nagato exchanged glances at Shin again.
Shin shrugged and accepted it with ease, absently scratching behind Ayumi's ears as she settled beside his chair, her trunk still seeking out mango pieces. After all, the imminent confrontation with Minato at the Kannabi Bridge was approaching fast; having an extra edge was undeniably valuable!
"Konan, Nagato, I'll leave the troop drills and mountain defenses to you for the next few days. I need to study this training guide."
"Understood."
"No problem. Go focus on your training."
With that, Shin found a quiet spot, opened the scroll, and began his personal training.
Although he had been keeping up with daily exercises, it had been some time since he devoted himself fully to personal development. Having crossed into this world nearly two years ago, his strength had reached a plateau of slower growth.
In two years, he had risen from a rural youth just beginning to grasp the ninja arts to someone capable of facing off against top-tier original characters like Orochimaru and Minato.
While the system's assistance played a significant role, his growth was something he could take pride in as a transmigrator.
Now, however, he was gradually stepping away from relying on the system.
Sinful or not, manipulative or otherwise, at least his mastery of Ice Release had been achieved entirely through his own efforts (and a bit of help from Shisui)!
Opening the scroll and reading carefully, Shin found himself gaining many insights.
"The Yuki clan's use of Ice Release is indeed different from mine, resembling Haku's abilities in the original story."
Haku, Zabuza's loyal companion in the original series, was a popular early character—a beautiful youth of ambiguous gender.
Haku showcased two Ice Release techniques in the original:
Crystal Ice Mirrors.
Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness.
The former had crushed the early-series Naruto and Sasuke in the Land of Waves arc, forcing Naruto's first Nine-Tails chakra outburst. The latter was used during the Fourth Shinobi War to protect Zabuza after his resurrection.
Comparing the scroll's contents to his memory, Shin discerned the two core principles of the Yuki clan's Ice Release: Mirror Teleportation and Ice Refraction.
These were entirely different from his own style, which emphasized creating icy winds and blades, using slashes to extend his attack range.
At first glance, they seemed poles apart. But upon deeper reflection, Shin was thrilled to realize they were perfectly complementary!
The Yuki clan's techniques excelled in mobility and defense, allowing the user to teleport between icy surfaces and deflect attacks using ice refraction.
But they lacked explosive offensive power! Their attack methods were limited to basic ice spikes and shards.
Shin, on the other hand, was the opposite!
His attacks were overwhelmingly aggressive— Where his blade pointed, nothing could stand! He could cut down even gods if they dared show their health bar!
However, his earlier clash with Minato exposed his weaknesses: he lacked defensive capabilities and mobility, especially against the Flying Thunder God.
"How convenient is this?"
Shin couldn't help but laugh aloud.
His current skillset and the Yuki clan's techniques were a perfect match!
It was as if someone had handed him a pillow just when he needed one.
Eagerly, Shin began his Ice Release training.
"Mirror Teleportation could neutralize some of the Flying Thunder God's mobility advantages, and I can even incorporate my genjutsu into it.
After all, what better tool for hypnosis than a mirror?"
"Ice refraction is also incredibly useful! Even if it can't block a Rasengan, deflecting a kunai at a critical moment could turn the tide!"
The more Shin trained, the more excited he became. His mind teemed with ideas for new abilities and jutsu.
If, previously, he had only a rough strategy for influencing the outcome of the Kannabi Bridge conflict, now, for the first time, he was deeply eager to shatter the legend of Minato himself!
In their last encounter, he had bested Minato strategically, but in direct combat, he had been clearly outmatched.
It had taken his Uzumaki constitution and medical ninjutsu to save him.
That, and the comforting embrace of Kaori.
But now, Shin's eyes glinted with icy determination.
Shisui's timely delivery of the scroll felt like destiny, showing him a glimmer of hope for overturning the impossible.
This time, it might be his turn to give Minato a grand surprise.
---
The season had now turned to autumn, painting the leaves in shades of gold and crimson.
By mid-September, Kakashi had just celebrated his twelfth birthday and promptly signed up for Konoha's autumn jonin exam.
During times of war, surviving ninjas rapidly grew stronger. As a result, Konoha held ninja exams twice a year: once in spring and once in autumn.
"Another batch of children forced to grow up too fast," one examiner muttered to his colleague, watching Kakashi's retreating form.
"War leaves us no choice," his companion replied grimly. "At least this one's ready."
The exam Kakashi registered for was the autumn jonin assessment. It felt as though the wheel of fate was beginning its final sprint at this very moment.
---
On the Kumo frontlines, the Raikage's young secretary, Mabui, was painstakingly taking inventory of the supplies about to be delivered.
"Do we really have to send so many supplies to Akatsuki?" She asked reluctantly, drawing a sigh and a frown from the commander, Dodai.
First we lose to the Yellow Flash, now we're bleeding our storage dry.
"It's too late to regret it now; the alliance treaty has already been signed."
Mabui still wasn't convinced. "Why do they get to demand so much from us? Back when Iwa sought an alliance to attack Konoha together, they were the ones who sent supplies to negotiate terms with us."
Dodai coughed awkwardly, giving her a meaningful glance to check the figure standing behind them. For someone so sharp with numbers, she can be surprisingly dense about politics.
You seriously don't know why we agreed to Akatsuki's terms? Isn't it because our boss swore up and down not long ago that he would definitely defeat Minato this time?
But after mobilizing troops, we still failed, and now we're stuck admitting Akatsuki's value.
But before Dodai's expression could fully convey his meaning, a loud crash erupted behind them.
BANG!
The sound of splintering wood echoed through the command tent as A had smashed yet another table with his fist. Splinters flew everywhere as the sturdy wooden surface gave way under his chakra-enhanced strike.
"Reports indicate that Konoha is advancing towards Kusa. This time, I'll see just what kind of performance Akatsuki can pull off!"
No one expected that Mabui's next words would freeze him in place. She didn't even look up from her inventory scroll as she spoke.
"Raikage-sama, this is already the 78th table you've broken this month. We've run out of wooden tables in the frontlines' inventory."
"…"
At that moment, the towering figure of A shrank slightly in embarrassment. His eyes darted about until they landed on Killer B, who was nearby composing raps, seemingly lost in his own world.
"Come fix this table for me."
"???"
Killer B's face was the picture of confusion. He looked up from his notebook, bewildered at being suddenly dragged into the situation. Yo, I'm just trying to write my rhymes, and now I gotta deal with big bro's furniture crimes?
---
In the distant forests of Kusa... Shin, having just concluded a cycle of training, arrived at a mountain stream with Konan and Nagato.
His muscles ached a bit from the intense session, but his mind remained sharp as ever.
Looking up, about 200 meters above them, the Kannabi Bridge spanned the cliffs overhead.
As he observed the area in person, Shin finally pieced together his lingering doubts. The terrain was exactly as he remembered from the stories of his past life, but seeing it in person brought new understanding.
So this is where Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and the Iwa squad fought in the original story.
Konan floated closer to the cliff face, examining the rough surface. "Even though this area is far from the mountain summit, we should still station some defenses here. It's possible the enemy could send a small elite team to climb up and cause sabotage."
Surprisingly, Shin fell silent for a long time before responding.
He opened his system panel, something he hadn't done in quite some time.
The countdown on the interface continued to tick down, probabilities shifted slightly, but some warnings remained unchanged.
[System Assessment: Host's future assessed to have a— 7.2% chance of death in 8 days, cause: active interference in the Konoha–Iwa conflict
(System Suggestion: Collect intelligence more cautiously; avoid prematurely provoking enemies in dangerous areas)]
His death scenario was fast approaching, and while the likelihood had decreased slightly due to his recent efforts, the danger was still significant.
Yet what intrigued him most was the system's suggestion: Why warn against fighting in a dangerous area?
What kind of location could pose such a threat that even someone with Kage-level strength might fall?
Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he spoke in a serious tone. "Let's take this discussion to the air."
Though confused, Konan and Nagato complied without hesitation. They'd learned to trust Shin's sudden intuitions.
Konan unfolded her paper wings with a soft rustling sound, while Nagato levitated using repulsive forces, the air around him distorting slightly. All three of them ascended, well out of earshot.
"Do you remember the enemy I mentioned before—the one capable of moving undetected through the earth?"
Hearing this, both Konan and Nagato frowned.
Of course, they remembered. That was the enemy responsible for Yahiko's current comatose state.
"Is he nearby?" Nagato's voice was filled with killing intent.
Shin gazed at the valley below and replied grimly, "If he plans to strike again, this valley is the perfect location."
Now he understood why fighting in the wrong place could be so dangerous.
If his hunch was correct, the aged Madara was likely hidden somewhere beneath this valley, along with the Gedō Statue.
"Enemies capable of hiding in the earth won't miss this opportunity. If they've been this quiet recently, they must have a new plan—one that not only targets us but also involves our enemies."
A paper butterfly landed on his shoulder as Konan moved closer. "You think they're using both sides against each other?"
"Minato's three students might just be part of their scheme."
---
Deep underground in the cavernous depths of the valley, Black Zetsu reported to Madara.
"Don't worry, Madara-sama. Although the plan with Nagato has encountered some setbacks, the progress of the clan member you personally selected is going smoothly."
"No one will ever suspect that our target is that seemingly mediocre Konoha genin. Absolutely no one."
But Zetsu didn't realize that high above, Shin was explaining his thoughts to Konan and Nagato.