"Let me be the squad leader?"
Kirito was shocked when he heard Hatake Sakumo's words.
They had just met and he was already making him squad leader, showing a lot of confidence in him. Although his strength was stronger than Chizuru and Nawaki, he was not about to take the credit for it. But the fact that he was appointed squad leader right away made him feel a little resentful.
The next moment, he subconsciously looked over at Chizuru.
Chizuru was also looking at him at that moment, her eyes revealing deep resentment, before she looked at Hatake Sakumo and gave him an eye full of resentment.
Nawaki was also a little resentful, but unfortunately no one was looking at him, which made him even more resentful.
"Just you wait, when I become Hokage one day, I'll definitely give you guys a bunch of super annoying missions to do. I'm going to get stronger, become even stronger, and then go home and find some perceptive ninjutsu to learn."
Nawaki secretly cheered himself on.
"Kirito, did you hear me?"
Hatake Sakumo said again when Kirito did not answer right away.
"Ha~"
Kirito saw that Chizuru was not going to lash out, so he agreed.
"Teacher Hatake, I heard from my grandfather that you are very powerful. Can you show us?"
The next moment, Chizuru lashed out, directly challenging Hatake Sakumo's authority.
She knew that Hatake Sakumo was very powerful, but she had never experienced it for herself.
Therefore, she still didn't quite believe in Hatake Sakumo.
The reason why she didn't lash out just now was because she really couldn't beat Kirito at the moment, and it didn't matter if she gave up the position of squad leader to him. In future operations, she would also obediently follow Kirito's orders.
However, if Hatake Sakumo wanted her to be obedient, he would first have to defeat her.
"I also want to see it."
Upon hearing this, Nawaki immediately became eager to try it, and a strong fighting spirit ignited in his heart.
Kirito had seen the power of Hatake Sakumo before. Killing a jōnin was like killing a chicken. The man's Shunshin technique had been cultivated to a very high level, and not only could he release it at will, but he could also do so without making a sound.
Moreover, Shunshin could travel over long distances, and it was still a mystery how many times it could be used in a row.
In addition to his formidable Shunshin technique, the man's blade skills had also been cultivated to a peerless level.
The title Konoha White Fang is not famous for his shunshin technique, but for his knife skills that have been cultivated to a superb level.
White Fang's knife skills are like a self-contained critical strike, deadly with every blow.
Kirito did not have Byakugan before, so during the Nine-Tailed Inheritance operation, he did not see how Hatake Sakumo used his blade at all. He only saw a flash of beautiful blade light, and then the jōnin spy's head fell off.
He estimated at the time that if Konoha White Fang attacked him, his end would not be any different from that of the jōnin spy.
Even now, he doesn't feel that he can withstand the opponent's sneak attack.
"Okay, although the mission is important, there is still some time now, so let's get to know each other a little. You three can attack together. See these two bells? As long as you can snatch them from me, I will recognize your strength, and you can give me advice in future operations."
Hatake Sakumo smiled slightly, then took out two small bells from his body and attached them to his belt.
Geniuses are all arrogant, and it is difficult to convince them without experiencing a severe beating.
He had long been mentally prepared for Chizuru, a typical Uchiha genius prick.
He also easily guessed Nawaki's reaction.
The only thing that surprised him was Kirito, the most outstanding Konoha genius in the trio, who actually didn't pick on him.
He wasn't bragging, but in the current Konoha, the only people who could give him a sense of threat were one in the Sandaime and two in the previous generation. However, with the death of Mito-sama, there was only one left, and today, there was one more.
He felt a sense of threat from Kirito, although only a little, but this proved that Kirito most likely had a trump card in his hands that could kill him.
"It's truly awe-inspiring to see such a young person who is so capable. Why would I need to guide such a person?"
Hatake Sakumo sighed inwardly.
To be honest, he had not expected to be assigned by Sandaime to act as the supervising jōnin for the three: Kirito, Chizuru, and Nawaki.
After all, until now, he had been operating alone for a long time, and had never needed teammates, as teammates were basically a burden to him.
It was clear that Sandaime had regarded him as a nanny for the three on the battlefield.
However, he also understood Sandaime's thinking.
Although the three in front of him are all 10-year-old kids, they all have the strength of a real jōnin. They can be said to be the most talented Konoha talents of the latest generation. As long as they can survive, they will definitely become the pillars of Konoha in the future.
They are the future of Konoha.
Sandaime's ability to entrust them to him is a heavy responsibility, and he is both moved and burdened by it.
He feels the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders again.
"Hatake Sensei, why are there only two bells? There are three of us here, and these bells are not enough to go around,"
Nawaki said with a puzzled expression after hearing Hatake Sakumo's words.
"That's a good question. If someone doesn't grab a bell, then that person will have to do one month's worth of chores on missions in the future,"
Hatake Sakumo answered with a smile.
"Why is that so? I protest,"
Upon receiving this reply, Nawaki felt something was amiss and immediately protested.
Although he did not want to admit it in his heart, Kirito and Chizuru were currently stronger than him, and they had many methods at their disposal.
Therefore, if there were only two bells, the chances of the two of them taking them were greater than his.
Unfortunately, the protest was invalid.
Hatake Sakumo suddenly used Shunshin to appear in front of Nawaki, and then placed a hand on his shoulder before Nawaki could react at all.
Nawaki's hair stood on end, and he was left speechless.
Chizuru, who had already activated her Three-Tomoe Sharingan, witnessed the scene and saw fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
With her Sharingan, she had just been able to catch a glimpse of the scene, but her body was unable to react in time. If she wanted to react, she would have to use the Lightning Stimulation Secret Technique to stimulate her body and temporarily accelerate her nerve response.
"This is interesting. Konoha's White Fang, you are a good opponent."
Chizuru stared at Hatake Sakumo intently, her eyes showing a strong fighting spirit.
After Hatake Sakumo had subdued Nawaki, he once again used Shunshin to appear 100 meters away, and then said to the three of them, "Let's begin. You may use your signature jutsu to take the bell from me. You have one hour. By the way, if none of you succeed, then I will get to keep your monthly mission rewards."
"Just watch me,"
As soon as Hatake Sakumo finished speaking, Nawaki decisively took the lead and shouted, immediately forming seals to use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
The next moment, twenty Nawaki shadow clones appeared around him.
"Go, everyone, go get the bell,"
Nawaki ordered, raising his hand forward.
"Oh~"
The Nawaki shadow clones immediately obeyed, rushing towards Hatake Sakumo one after the other.
In the process, they split up into four groups and spread out, surrounding Hatake Sakumo from all four directions.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is Nawaki's favorite ninjutsu. Over time, this ninjutsu has gradually evolved from just being a learning accelerator for Nawaki to becoming a very powerful ninjutsu.
Nawaki is not a person who thinks things through, so it is a bit unrealistic to expect him to use the Shadow Clone Technique to devise various complex combat methods.
However, Iwa-nin's collective Earth Release jutsu gave Nawaki the inspiration to evolve his multiple shadow clone technique.
I saw five Nawaki shadow clones simultaneously complete the seal.
Earth Release: Earth Moving Core!
The ground within a 20-meter radius beneath Hatake Sakumo suddenly began to rapidly descend.
On the other side, the other five Nawaki shadow clones also simultaneously completed the seal, and a huge stream of water immediately spewed from their mouths, shooting towards the pit formed by Earth Release: Earth Moving Core on the ground in front of them.
Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!
The water level in the pit quickly rose as the water poured in.
However, Hatake Sakumo's speed was obviously faster than the rising water level. As soon as the shadow clones of Nawaki released their Water Colliding Wave, he jumped out of the pit with a whoosh.
At this time, the last two groups of Nawaki shadow clones were ready. They threw shuriken, Kunai and other ninja weapons.
Nawaki had been trained in the art of throwing shinobu weapons, and his aim was very accurate.
Hatake Sakumo was instantly blown to pieces by these shinobu weapons.
But the next moment, with a loud bang, Hatake Sakumo turned into a stake.
"Where did he go?"
The shadow clones wondered.
Then they saw a large number of small blades of chakra formed from Lightning Release chakra.
In an instant, twenty of Nawaki shadow clones were destroyed, and Hatake Sakumo appeared from the sky, holding a short, white-fanged knife covered in blue and white electric currents.
"Damn, the speed of these chakra blade attacks is too fast,"
Nawaki watched as his shadow clones were instantly destroyed, and his expression became ugly.
As he tried to continue his attack, Chizuru, who was not far away, took action, quickly completing the hand seals with both hands.
The next moment, five streams of water whipped out of the puddle and shot towards Hatake Sakumo like five water snakes.
Water Release: Water Whip!
Since mastering the nature of Water Release Chakra, Chizuru has been diligently training in this nature of Chakra. She has wasted a lot of time, energy and resources in this area. Although her current level of Water Release is not as strong as Fire Release and Lightning Release, her strength in using Water Release Jutsu has improved significantly.
By using the accumulated water created by the Water Release: Water Colliding Wave of the Nawaki shadow clones, she easily created five Water Release: Water Whips, and released them outside her body.
Water Release: Water Whip has a restraining effect, and once a ninja is restrained, it is very difficult for them to break free.
Facing Chizuru's Water Release: Water Whip, Hatake Sakumo simply swung his sword, and the five Water Whips were all cut off at the same time.
Chizuru was not discouraged by this, because her goal had already been achieved. She used the Lightning Stimulation Secret Technique to advance to Hatake Sakumo's face and complete eye contact with him.
Sharingan Illusion Technique!
In an instant, Hatake Sakumo's eyes in front of Chizuru suddenly became dull.
"I've got him,"
Chizuru saw this and decisively used the Lightning Stimulation Secret Technique to continue accelerating towards him, preparing to take the bells from Hatake Sakumo's waist.
She was even prepared to take both of them. However, when she touched the bells, she instantly sensed that something was wrong.
Hatake Sakumo in front of her suddenly glowed with blinding blue and white electricity, then exploded, shooting countless blue and white electric currents in all directions.
Lightning Release: Lightning Clone Technique!
Chizuru immediately retreated in a flustered manner, thinking with dissatisfaction in her heart, "When did he use Lightning Release: Lightning Clone Technique? My Sharingan didn't even notice, and besides, where is he hiding now?"
She quickly pressed a finger against the ground and used some sort of perception jutsu.
But this time, she was no longer able to perceive Hatake Sakumo's true location at all.
Seeing that Chizuru had also failed to seize the bell, Nawaki sneered, "What? It seems that you can't find Hatake Sensei either."
"Hmph,"
Chizuru snorted, turned around and stared at Nawaki, her eyes revealing a dangerous gleam.
"What, you want to fight?"
Nawaki stared back defiantly, shouting.
However, he subconsciously refrained from making eye contact with Chizuru's Sharingan, in case he was tricked by its illusions.
After studying up on the methods of dispelling illusions, he understood them, but there was no guarantee that he could actually dispel them.
"Okay, if you two want to fight, you can do it later. We're not in a civil war right now. Whether you like it or not, we're already a team, and since we're in the same team, we must stick together.
You just felt it too, didn't you? Sakumo sensei's ability to hide is very strong. It is difficult to detect him with ordinary sensory ninjutsu and five senses perception. In this regard, he must have specially trained in various perception elimination techniques. It is impossible for you to find him with your current abilities.
Therefore, if you want to find him and get the bell from him, you must listen to me."
Just as the two were about to explode with anger, Kirito's voice suddenly appeared in their minds.
The Yamanaka Secret Technique: Mind Body Transmission Technique!
"This is the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique, Mind Body Transmission Technique. Kirito, where did you learn this secret technique?"
Nawaki was shocked to hear Kirito's voice suddenly appear in his mind, and hurriedly asked using his mind.
Where did you learn it?
Of course I learned it from the Root ninja of the Yamanaka Clan.
Kirito naturally would not tell Nawaki this, and immediately said, "Now is not the time for that. Just asking, do you want to work together against Hatake Sensei?"
"Okay, right now only you among us can find Hatake Sensei, but that annoying female Uchiha probably won't want to,"
Nawaki said helplessly after a moment of silence.
He didn't even know where Hatake Sakumo was, let alone get the bell from the other party. Now Kirito was the only hope for the team.
"Hmph, as long as some idiot doesn't slow us down, I don't have a problem with it."
The next moment, Nawaki heard Chizuru's cold voice in his head.
Upon hearing this, Nawaki's face suddenly turned unnatural, and he looked at Kirito with some resentment.
This kind of thing where someone gets caught red-handed snitching is a billion times embarrassing.
"I forgot to tell you, I'm temporarily using the Mind Body Transmission Technique to connect your spirits, so that we can communicate more easily,"
Kirito said cheerfully.
On the other side, Hatake Sakumo, who was secretly hiding in the tree, saw Nawaki and Chizuru suddenly become quiet and a puzzled expression appeared on his face. He thought to himself, "That's strange, why did these two stop? Weren't they just about to do something?"
Soon, he realized what was going on and looked at Kirito, who had not moved or made a sound since the beginning.
"Trouble, this kid probably still has some ninjutsu like the Yamanaka Secret Technique: Mind Body Transmission Technique that allows silent communication. This kid has the Spirit Transformation Technique, so he must be able to clearly sense my location. If he can unite the two of them to attack me, I'm in danger."
Hatake Sakumo squinted and thought, but he felt happy in his heart.
If Kirito can really unite the two here and successfully take the bell from him, then that will prove that Kirito has the talent to command, and that he can become the lubricant and link that unites the team.
To be honest, Nawaki and Chizuru's performance just now was quite disappointing to him.
The two had seriously incompatible personalities, disliked each other, and neither of them had figured out the importance of uniting in a ninja squad at all.
It had to be said, putting the Senju clan together with the Uchiha clan was a real headache.
Suddenly, Kirito in Hatake Sakumo's field of vision moved, and he instantly realized that the three of them were going to make a move.
Nawaki once again used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, once again effortlessly creating twenty shadow clones in one go.
Then, to Hatake Sakumo's astonished gaze, ten of these shadow clones used the Change Technique to transform into Kirito's appearance.
At this point, Kirito blended in with these shadow clones that had turned into their appearances and, acting in unison with these shadow clones, they all ran at high speed towards the tree where Hatake Sakumo was.
"He's over there."
Nawaki pointed his finger at the tree where Hatake Sakumo was.
The next moment, the remaining ten shadow clones around him that had not used the Change Technique all completed their seals.
Water Release: Heavenly Weep!
A large number of sharp water needles shot out of their mouths.
Facing this concentrated and massive attack, Hatake Sakumo's proud blade skills were not very useful, so he quickly used the technique of instant movement to leave his spot.
But as soon as he left the tree and appeared on the ground not far away, Kirito and the ten shadow clones of Nawaki that had transformed into Kirito rushed over as if they had known in advance. They all concentrated their chakra at the soles of their feet and used the chakra charge.
As soon as Hatake Sakumo appeared on the ground, they were about to charge in front of him.
Kirito suddenly slapped forward, and a high-density chakra shockwave instantly shot out at high speed.
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
Hatake Sakumo had been in many battles and naturally knew what Kirito's attack was, so without saying a word, he swung a sword forward, easily cutting the invisible chakra shockwave in half. Then, using his superb body techniques, he easily finished off the already charging Kirito.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
A loud sound of breaking air came.
Hatake Sakumo immediately used his hearing to locate the direction from which the large number of shuriken were flying, and turned around lightning-fast to knock all the incoming shuriken away.
However, he keenly noticed that the accuracy of a few of these shuriken was a bit off, and they actually missed him.
"Something's wrong."
Hatake Sakumo immediately stared at those shuriken that missed.
Sure enough, one of these shuriken had been artificially altered.
Chizuru suddenly appeared in front of Hatake Sakumo, and the two locked eyes.
The moment Hatake Sakumo saw Chizuru, he quietly and without a trace activated the technique of instant transformation, hoping to use it to avoid being affected by the Sharingan's illusion.
In order for the Sharingan's illusion to be successfully released, in addition to locking eyes with the other person, it would take at least half a second to activate.
Within half a second, it was enough for him to use the shunshin technique to dodge.
However, for some reason, his usual instant teleportation technique was delayed this time, and he was unable to use it instantly.
The reason for this was that the moment he used his instant teleportation technique, his body was suddenly pulled, causing him to become distracted.
And it was this small lapse in concentration that allowed his eyes to complete a nearly one-second stare with Chizuru's Sharingan.
In an instant, a huge Sharingan appeared in front of his eyes.
He knew that he had been tricked.
"Release!"
He immediately used a technique to undo it, and his vision immediately returned to normal.
But at this time, Kirito and Chizuru were each holding a bell in front of him and swinging it.
"Ding-ling~"
The bell made a crisp sound.