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Three days later!
Sakumo Hatake, known as the 'White Fang of Konoha,' committed suicide. The news of this powerful and gentle white-haired man's death spread, marking the end of his life in this tragic manner.
The Third Hokage was momentarily stunned and filled with regret upon hearing this news. He had never intended for things to escalate to this point.
In his original plan, he had intended to use this incident to tarnish the White Fang's reputation, adding a blemish to his record. He wanted to remind Sakumo Hatake of a shinobi's duty, to be a sharp and obedient blade for the village.
[Was it to uphold his own ninja way? Or was he resentful of my indifference?]
Is anyone reading this? Why is there no response?
Sitting behind the Hokage's desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at the photos of the previous Hokages on the wall. The figures in the photos had no souls, silently watching over the Hokage and the village.
Did I make a mistake? But I was only trying to protect the village!
The heads of the major clans in Konoha were all shocked when they received the news. The man who was unstoppable on the battlefield, who had always protected the village and his comrades as his ninja way...
He had died silently in his own home, by his own hand, and in the midst of rumors. They fell silent collectively, looking towards the Hokage Tower, as if they understood something.
...
Even the ordinary shinobi were deeply affected.
From that day on, they knew how to choose between their comrades and their missions...
Was it to uphold the ninja way he had lived by, which the village had rejected? Or was it out of resentment towards the Third Hokage's indifference? Or perhaps due to guilt over the mission's failure? Or... for his young son?
The reasons were lost with Sakumo Hatake's death.
Ironically, with the news of the 'White Fang's' death, the villagers who had gathered around the Hatake residence to curse and the comrades who had accused him of abandoning the mission for his own sake, all vanished overnight, as if they had never existed. Even the adults in the village deliberately avoided the topic in their casual conversations.
What remained was a five-year-old child, an empty mansion, and a broken heart.
Another orphan was added to Konoha's list...
A moment of silence for this 'White Fang of Konoha.'
At that moment, Fuyoshiro was sitting cross-legged at a low table in his study. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his silhouette and the scrolls, notes, and papers scattered on the desk.
He was studying jutsu, specifically the Three Body Techniques that were mandatory for graduation from the Ninja Academy.
Many of his predecessors who had traveled from other worlds only valued the Substitution Technique among the Three Body Techniques, dismissing the Clone Technique and Transformation Technique. Fuyoshiro, however, found this view biased.
The Substitution Technique was indeed important, allowing one to replace oneself with a prepared substitute to withstand an attack, while the user could take the opportunity to counterattack or retreat.
This was a life-saving technique.
Later, Orochimaru developed the Snake Substitution Technique, which could erase the damage to the body. Although it was somewhat disgusting, the effect was quite powerful.
As for the Clone Technique, the basic version taught at the Ninja Academy created a non-physical clone using chakra to confuse the enemy. This was relatively simple.
However, advanced versions like the Shadow Clone Technique could carry the user's consciousness and transfer it back to the original body when the clone dispersed. This involved advanced chakra applications and the founding purpose of the ninja clans: using chakra as a medium to enable the exchange and sharing of consciousness, thereby bringing peace.
In the original story, both Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki used chakra to seal part of their consciousness inside Naruto. And the short-lived Kakuzu's 'Spiritualization Technique' further utilized chakra to carry his soul.
These techniques all had subtle connections to the Clone Technique, just with different applications and levels of sophistication.
Now, let's talk about the Transformation Technique.
The Transformation Technique is generally seen as a weak technique by shinobi. Whether it's transforming into an object, stone, or wood to deceive the enemy during battle, or transforming into another person or shinobi for missions, the primary purpose is deception and confusion.
Such techniques are mostly ineffective against experienced shinobi or those with special sensory or bloodline abilities.
However, the summoning animal 'Enma,' passed down through the Sarutobi clan, brought a new level of application to the Transformation Technique. Enma could become invulnerable, stretch and shrink, and change its size at will.
The Akimichi clan's Multiplication Technique also intrigued Fuyoshiro. He doubted that the Akimichi clan could transform into a giant simply because they ate more meat. The transformation of flesh, bones, and internal organs to become larger and then shrink back was implausible, even for medical science. He believed it was a combination of the Transformation Technique and Yang Release.
Some variations of the Multiplication Technique allowed for specific body parts to grow larger. Imagine the possibilities for harem scenarios with this technique!
Oops! Some strange thoughts sneaked in...
There are also many combinations of these techniques. One cannot ignore Orochimaru's contributions.
In the original story, Orochimaru's 'Hidden Shadow Snake Hands' seemed more like a combination of the Clone Technique and Transformation Technique. Using chakra to create a separate entity and then transforming it into a python to attack or bind the enemy.
For example, during his battle with Naruto at the Valley of the End, Orochimaru split his Kusanagi Sword into dozens or even hundreds of blades, extending them hundreds of meters. This was a simplified version of the Clone Technique combined with Enma's Transformation Technique.
Orochimaru also transformed his lower body into a python's body for evasion. It was hard to imagine how a human body could transform into another animal. If it wasn't Transformation Technique, what else could it be? Just scientific modification? Unlikely!
Even the beloved 'Itachi Uchiha' from his previous life. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he summoned a crow from Naruto's body with Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan. Was that crow really a summoning animal? It seemed more like a combination of the Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Sealing Technique.
Otherwise, how could a crow survive inside Naruto without water, food, or air, and carry the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Is anyone reading this? It feels like there's no response...
(End of Chapter)