Chapter 128: Time to Ramp Things Up!

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Time to Ramp Things Up!

Land of Wind, Sand-Rock Battlefield.

On the outskirts of a small oasis town, bodies lay scattered across the ground, while crows and vultures picked at the corpses.

Among the scavengers, one crow stood out—it was more selective and had a much larger appetite.

Any corpse this crow picked out would vanish instantly.

After collecting three bodies, the crow, which was actually Shūichi in disguise, noticed someone approaching. He and the other birds quickly flapped their wings and soared into the night sky.

The Stone Ninja had come to reclaim their dead!

Earlier, they had been forced to retreat and couldn't retrieve their fallen comrades in time. Now, after the Sand Ninja had withdrawn into the oasis, they had come back to collect the bodies.

"Damn scavengers!"

The Stone Ninja cursed, with some even using the Earth Release: Stone Cannon technique to attack the flying crows and vultures.

Shūichi, still in crow form, was among the targets, but he easily evaded the ninjutsu.

He cast a sharp glance over the Stone Ninja before flying away, and with a Flying Thunder God technique, he teleported to one of his underground bases.

The place he arrived at was an old ruin, likely buried by the sands of time. Shūichi had repurposed it, using Earth Release to make some modifications, and then marked it with his Flying Thunder God seal, turning it into a temporary storage for the bodies.

As a crow, he had used his talons to activate Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder to teleport the bodies here.

In doing so, he not only collected corpses for research, but also honed his Flying Thunder God technique—a double win.

After sealing the bodies in pre-prepared scrolls, Shūichi finally sat down to rest, while contemplating the current state of the Sand-Rock war.

There was no doubt that, at the outset, the Stone Ninja had been like an unstoppable force, charging deep into the Land of Wind.

This was because Sunagakure had spread its forces too thin in their pursuit of Sasori of the Red Sand, leaving their defenses weak.

However, Sunagakure had since recovered and stabilized the situation.

This quick turnaround was due to a combination of factors.

First, the terrain of the Land of Wind provided them with a natural advantage, allowing for a strong defense.

Though the Land of Earth's environment was harsh, it was nowhere near as severe as the Land of Wind.

And second, the Sand Ninja were fighting with the resolve of a cornered army.

Their greatest Kazekage had been assassinated, and not only did the Stone Ninja refuse to apologize or hand over the culprit, they launched an invasion instead. How could the Sand Ninja let this stand?

Because of this, in every battle Shūichi had observed, the Sand Ninja fought with a desperate intensity, causing the Stone Ninja's early momentum to falter, and their offensive to stall.

"Unfortunately, neither the Four-Tails nor the One-Tail Jinchuriki have shown up," Shūichi thought with some regret.

Though he had obtained a piece of the Four-Tails' flesh for research, both he and Orochimaru estimated it would only grow into one tail at most.

Even the Eight-Tails could only regenerate a single horn, and anything beyond that was extremely difficult, if not impossible, to grow.

"Stone Ninja..."

Shūichi's thoughts began to stir. "The intensity of the conflict isn't high enough yet. How else will they be forced to reveal their Jinchuriki?"

"Plus, with the Great Ninja War looming, it's only a matter of time before Konoha gets drawn in."

"The more the Stone and Sand Ninja exhaust themselves now, the better it is for Konoha."

To be honest, Shūichi wasn't impressed by either Hiruzen Sarutobi's or Danzo's strategies.

Danzo was too aggressive—entering the war too early would put Konoha at a disadvantage.

On the other hand, Hiruzen was too cautious and passive.

What was needed right now was someone to stir up trouble!

Recalling the Stone Ninja who had attacked him earlier, Shūichi's eyes sharpened, and a smile crept onto his face. "Let's start with the Stone Ninja!"

"It's time to ramp up the intensity!"

"First, I'll head back to Konoha to replenish my chakra."

"And I'll bring the bodies back with me—wouldn't want them stolen."

Shūichi was still wary of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.

They were too good at hiding.

After stowing the scrolls, Shūichi's figure vanished.

...

The bodies were transported to the experimental base, and at the moment Shūichi's clone dispersed, he had just finished training with Asuka. It was already nearing 10 PM.

After washing up and saying goodnight to Nono and Asuka, Shūichi returned to his bedroom. He then released the seal on his abdomen, unleashing a massive amount of chakra, which he used to create two shadow clones.

Since he planned to intervene in the war and intensify the conflict, it only made sense to deploy one clone to each side.

However, the Stone Ninja had already grasped his chakra signature, and the Sand Ninja knew him well enough—especially their sensory ninjas—so caution was necessary.

The best way to handle the situation would be to eliminate everyone who knew about him...

The two shadow clones vanished from the room, while Shūichi lay down and peacefully went to sleep.

---

Land of Wind, Underground Hideout.

Shūichi's two shadow clones appeared. One stayed behind, while the other vanished once again using the Flying Thunder God technique.

In the air, Shūichi transformed into a crow and flew to the battlefield where he had previously gathered corpses.

After circling for a moment, the crow descended and transformed into a moth.

At the temporary Stone Ninja camp, tall walls stood guard, with the night watchmen either sitting atop the walls or hiding in the shadows.

Inside the walls, several campfires burned, bringing warmth to the camp.

A moth fluttering toward the fire didn't raise any suspicion.

The Stone Ninja on guard weren't paying attention to the sky—or to a simple moth.

After all, while ninjas could use transformation techniques to become birds, they still couldn't fly.

Inside the camp, the resting Stone Ninja weren't sitting by the fire; instead, they were in half-open, dome-like shelters made from Earth Release.

The moth circled the campfire once before flying into one of the shelters.

Inside were four Stone Ninjas—an entire squad.

Temple of Nirvana Technique!

Shūichi nodded, left a shadow clone to continue the work, and headed out of the research base, where Shinnosuke was already waiting outside.

"Here, this is your Jōnin application form, Shūichi. Take it home, fill it out, and give it back to me," Shinnosuke handed Shūichi a form.

Jōnin?

Shūichi took the form and asked, "Captain, my mission count is still far from enough, right?"

To be promoted to Jōnin, aside from sufficient combat ability, one also needed a significant number of missions completed.

Even counting the medical missions from Konoha Hospital, he thought he still didn't qualify.

Shinnosuke smiled and said, "That's why you should take on more missions in the coming days!"

Hmm?

Shūichi sensed something unusual.

Is this preparation for the war that might break out soon?

Building up young prodigies to boost morale?

At that moment, Shinnosuke pulled out a scroll and opened it. "These missions are more suited for someone like you, Shūichi."

Shūichi glanced at the scroll—it was filled with intelligence-gathering missions.

Targets: Iwa-nin, Suna-nin.

Shūichi almost suspected that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had found out about his secret activities.

But after thinking it over, probably not.

Although Hiruzen had a bit of a voyeuristic tendency, it wouldn't go as far as spying on him while he slept.

These missions were likely assigned based on his abilities.

Stealth skills!

Understanding this, Shūichi nodded and said, "Got it!"

"By the way, should we intervene in the war between the Suna-nin and Iwa-nin?"

Shinnosuke was startled. "Intervene?"

"How?"

Shūichi smiled. "Of course, by intensifying the conflict, making them exhaust each other's strength."

"Even if they're bound to fight us in the future, it's better if their forces are as weakened as possible."

Hearing this, Shinnosuke was intrigued and said seriously, "I'll report this to Lord Third!"

Shūichi nodded and waved his hand as he turned to return to the research base.

Shinnosuke stood in thought for a moment before vanishing.

---

Hokage's Office.

After hearing his son's report, Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into deep thought. Moments later, he looked up and asked, "What do you think of this proposal?"

Shinnosuke replied honestly, "I completely agree with Shūichi's suggestion. While it carries some risk, the rewards far outweigh it."

"Based on the past Great Ninja War, it's only a matter of time before this war between the Suna-nin and Iwa-nin spills over to us."

"Weakening both sides now, regardless of whether the war eventually reaches the Land of Fire, would only be beneficial for us."

"This is an opportunity where the benefits outweigh the risks—it's entirely worth doing."

Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.

Shinnosuke hesitated for a moment before adding with a wry smile, "Also, given Shūichi's personality, with his strong dislike for the Iwa-nin and Suna-nin, he might already be doing something about it."

Hiruzen was momentarily taken aback before feeling a headache coming on.

Minato is better—he's a genius, but at least he doesn't cause trouble.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and now Shūichi—all excellent, but none were easy to manage.

Though Shūichi completed his missions well, his unpredictable nature was a cause for concern!

At that moment, Chihiro emerged from the ground. "Lord Third Hokage, intelligence from the Land of Rivers: Kirigakure has launched an attack on the southeastern border of the Land of Wind!"

Hiruzen's eyes sharpened. "They've made their move!"

Without further hesitation, he instructed Shinno, "Let Shūichi handle it!"

"Understood!"

Shinnosuke nodded and disappeared.

---

Later that afternoon, on his way home from the research base, Shūichi ran into Shinnosuke again, immediately understanding that his proposal had likely been approved.

After conveying the Third Hokage's decision, Shinnosuke reminded him, "Focus on gathering intelligence. Don't take unnecessary risks."

Shūichi smiled. "Don't worry, Captain. You know me—I'm very cautious."

Shinnosuke chuckled bitterly.

Cautious? Sure, but when things get crazy, no one could match him in recklessness!

"I'm counting on you to attend my wedding with Chihiro!"

"And when we have a kid, I'd like you to be their mentor!"

Shinnosuke couldn't help but admire him. "I don't think there's a better teacher of ninjutsu in all of Konoha than you."

Hearing this, Shūichi laughed. "Then it's settled!"

"But don't blame me when the time comes!"

With that, Shūichi disappeared.

Shinnosuke stood there scratching his head, wondering what exactly Shūichi meant by that last remark.

(End of Chapter)

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