> Current Status: Teleportation
> Description: While this status is active, "where the eyes can see, the body can reach." Simultaneously, you possess innate talent for techniques of this type.
> Refresh Countdown: 167:59:55
Upon seeing the refreshed status, Hajime was first elated—then immediately cursed under his breath:
"Damn it!"
Teleportation!
A god-tier ability!
And the best part?
It came with innate talent for spatial techniques.
But…
Why now?!
Why did it have to appear now of all times?
He was on the battlefield!
How was he supposed to train the Flying Thunder God technique in this situation?
Did it expect him to invent his own?
That was insane!
Utterly insane!
Hajime felt a tight knot in his chest, as if he'd lost billions in an instant.
In the ninja world, space-time techniques were without a doubt among the most powerful jutsu.
Right alongside sealing techniques, which could do just about anything.
That's why, even though his talent in sealing was average, Hajime still gritted his teeth and studied them.
Flying Thunder God was one of his ultimate goals.
And now—of all times—the system handed him a teleportation status.
Hajime nearly beat his chest in frustration.
After some experimentation, he confirmed that it was true instantaneous spatial movement—and that only made the pain worse.
He wished he could drop everything and head back to Konoha to start training Flying Thunder God immediately.
Even just seven days—if he could just lay the groundwork, maybe he could solidify the status.
Even if not, just making progress in Flying Thunder God would be worthwhile.
After venting his frustration, Hajime began considering whether there were other ways to solidify the state.
But clearly, nothing came to mind.
Unless…
Unless he could create his own space-time teleportation ninjutsu in the next seven days.
Shaking his head, Hajime accepted reality—he would just have to make full use of this ability for the next week.
...
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Hajime set out with Crow and the other Root ninjas.
On the other end, Tsunade and her team had also moved into action. Using Transformation Jutsu, they infiltrated the target town.
There were still civilians in the town, so infiltration wasn't difficult.
...
9:00 AM.
Hajime created a clone and took to the skies, flying high above the target.
Below was a barren mountain with little vegetation.
Iwa-nin had hidden sentries scattered along its slopes.
But from the air, everything was crystal clear.
Head downward, feet up, the Wood Clone dived—faster and faster.
When it was about 30 meters from the ground, it completed hand signs and opened its mouth.
A violent gale roared out, transforming into a storm that blasted the mountaintop.
Hearing the booming sound, the Iwa-nin guards looked up and were instantly alarmed.
They dropped into defensive positions without hesitation.
Inside the mountain cavern, the Iwa-nin stationed within also heard the commotion.
Enemy attack!
In an instant, all eyes turned to Ōnoki.
Ōnoki rose into the air.
"Capture the intruder at all costs!"
The Iwa-nin rallied.
"Understood!"
The storm outside didn't cause much damage but did temporarily force the Iwa-nin to retreat, opening a path forward.
Hajime dove in right after the storm, charging into the cave under the cover of dust and debris.
The interior was vast, with multiple passageways stretching who-knows-where.
In the open area were rows of wooden crates—but not a single person in sight.
A trap. Just as expected.
Suddenly, multiple Iwa-nin appeared simultaneously from the tunnel branches behind him.
Outside, on the mountaintop, even more Iwa-nin gathered.
"The enemy is at three o'clock!"
An Iwa-nin sensory ninja quickly located Hajime's main body and reported his position.
Immediately, over a dozen elite Iwa-nin rushed down the mountain.
"Retreat!"
Seeing the incoming Iwa-nin, Hajime gave the order.
Crow and the Root ninjas immediately withdrew.
Soon, the Iwa-nin closed the distance.
Hajime brought his hands together and formed the Ram seal.
Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!
From the ground, massive vines burst forth like giant serpents, surging toward the enemy.
High above, Ōnoki watched the battlefield.
When he saw the Wood Release technique, he snorted coldly.
"Got you now."
He immediately began descending from the sky.
On the ground, the Iwa-nin charging in stopped and began forming hand signs.
Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!
The advancing forest split down the middle—but the vines quickly spread again, covering the gap.
"Use Fire and Wind Release!"
An Iwa-nin shouted.
Though Iwagakure was known for Earth-style techniques, it wasn't short on Wind or Fire-style users—especially not this unit, handpicked specifically to counter Wood Release.
BOOM!
Wind and Fire combined into a towering inferno, crashing into the tide of green like a blazing tsunami.
But even that couldn't stop the surge of Wood Release.
"No wonder even Lord Yami lost to him…"
The elite Iwa-nin were visibly shaken, then immediately launched more jutsu.
This time, they worked together.
Two massive oval-shaped boulders rose up from both sides like hills, crashing toward the green tide in a pincer attack.
But the vines moved like dragons, sweeping to the flanks, wrapping and piercing the boulders. In moments, the jutsu collapsed—the massive stones crumbling under the relentless onslaught of Wood Release.
"Again!"
The commanding Iwa-nin jōnin roared, slamming both hands to the ground.
In the next instant, a towering Stone Giant, over 30–40 meters tall, rose from the earth.
The stone giant took a step forward and swung its arms, smashing the wooden vines.
However, the vines regenerated endlessly, wrapping around the giant's arms and legs. With a strong pull, the stone giant lost its balance and came crashing down.
From the air, Ōnoki had been observing the battlefield. Seeing the unstoppable surge of Wood Release, his expression changed, and an image of Hashirama Senju flashed through his mind.
That godlike man.
Although the Wood Release before him wasn't as terrifying as Hashirama's, it was still overwhelming a squad of elite ninja all by itself—an incredible feat.
"He must be eliminated!"
Ōnoki brought his palms together and formed a space between them where a conical barrier appeared.
On the ground—
Hajime felt a chill run down his spine. He suddenly looked up and saw Ōnoki in the air.
"The Third Tsuchikage!"
His pupils shrank sharply.
In the next instant, a searing white pillar of light descended from the sky. A rectangular barrier formed, trapping Hajime within it.
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!
A blinding white light exploded, disintegrating everything within the barrier down to the molecular—even atomic—level.
But Ōnoki's expression turned to shock.
Because Hajime appeared directly in front of him.
Space-time ninjutsu!
From such a distance, this couldn't be a simple Body Flicker Technique.
Ōnoki barely had time to cross his arms before Hajime's foot slammed into him, sending him flying.
Raising his hand, Hajime formed a Wind Release: Rasengan as it spiraled to life in his palm—and he vanished again.
This time, he reappeared at Ōnoki's side, driving the Wind Release Rasengan into the old man's abdomen.
His robe was shredded—but underneath was toughened brown skin.
Hardening Jutsu!
With a sharp crack, Hajime pressed harder, launching Ōnoki back again.
On the ground, the Iwagakure shinobi were struck with disbelief.
The Third Tsuchikage is getting beaten?!
"Quick, support Lord Tsuchikage!"
One after another, the Iwa-nin formed hand seals and fired a volley of rock bullets at Hajime in the air.
But every shot missed.
Hajime had vanished once again.
Meanwhile, Ōnoki stabilized mid-air and completed a jutsu, forming four stone clones to surround him.
This time, Hajime reappeared above Ōnoki.
But Ōnoki had anticipated it.
As Hajime brought down a Giant Wind Release Rasengan, what met him were several hardened stone arms.
Boom!
Shattered rubble exploded across the sky. The stone clones were annihilated by the Rasengan, kicking up a storm of dust and debris that engulfed Hajime.
But Ōnoki's true body used the moment to descend rapidly.
"So he can only teleport where he can see…"
"That's why he hasn't attacked from behind."
Just three uses, and Ōnoki had already deduced the limitation of Hajime's teleportation.
As he landed, the dust above was torn open.
Hajime reappeared at Ōnoki's side, his blade infused with Wind Chakra piercing through Ōnoki's body—right where the Rasengan had struck earlier.
Ōnoki's hardening technique had been broken.
"Lord Third Tsuchikage!"
The surrounding Iwa-nin cried out in horror.
But then—Ōnoki's body shattered into crumbling stone.
Almost simultaneously, a hand shot up from underground and grabbed Hajime's ankle.
Ultra-Added Weight Rock Technique!
Instantly, Hajime's legs sank into the ground, the earth cracking beneath him.
He couldn't even move a finger.
Ōnoki emerged from the ground in a hand seal posture, and walls of stone rose around Hajime from all directions.
Cutting off his line of sight!
But just before the wall in front of him sealed, Hajime vanished.
He reappeared high in the air—then plummeted.
His body was now absurdly heavy.
Boom!
Wind Release Chakra erupted from his hands and feet, adjusting his posture. As he descended at high speed—he vanished again.
On the ground, Ōnoki watched Hajime teleport again and again with a cold snort, though anxiety stirred within him.
That was close.
Too close.
"Instant teleportation is too dangerous. Even knowing its mechanics, it's extremely difficult to guard against."
Ōnoki's face looked grim. When the reinforcements arrived, he ordered immediately:
"Mobilize all forces. Search for the Wood Release user."
"He also possesses teleportation—though limited by line of sight."
"So far, it appears he can only move to places he can see."
The Iwa-nin were stunned.
With that ability, combined with Wood Release and powerful Wind Release—he was nearly impossible to deal with.
Ōnoki continued:
"He's currently affected by my Ultra-Added Weight Rock Technique. He won't be able to move for a while."
"Teleportation must consume a massive amount of chakra."
"When you find him—terminate him on the spot at all costs!"
The Iwa-nin froze momentarily—then nodded one by one. "Understood!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
One after another, Iwa-nin vanished from sight, while the order spread quickly across the entire area via their shadow clones.
In an instant, a massive Iwagakure search operation was underway.
Tsunade and her team hadn't even made it back to safety when they ran into a squad of Iwa-nin. A fierce battle broke out, and the commotion quickly drew more Iwa-nin from nearby.
The three attempted to break through, but the Iwa-nin clung to them tightly.
While fighting and fleeing, the trio originally planned to head east to rendezvous with the Konoha forces. However, they unexpectedly ran straight into Iwa-nin withdrawing from the front lines.
After another round of combat, they failed to break through and had no choice but to change direction and head west.
Soon, due to Jiraiya being wounded, the three were forced to hide in a mountain cave and sealed off the entrance for the time being.
As Tsunade tended to Jiraiya's wounds, she asked, "Orochimaru, what do you think is going on here?"
The Iwa-nin had gone mad all of a sudden—mobilizing forces from all directions.
It even looked like some had been pulled back from the front lines. Was all of this just to hunt them down?
Clearly not.
That meant the cause must be Hajime.
But what exactly had happened on his end to drive the Iwa-nin into such a frenzy? It made no sense.
Could it be that although that cave was a trap, it did contain a massive stockpile of supplies?
Maybe Hajime destroyed those supplies, prompting the Iwa-nin to launch a wide-scale search?
That was the only explanation Tsunade could think of.
Orochimaru analyzed calmly, "Just the death of Yami and the appearance of a Wood Release user might be enough to cause a large-scale sweep. But this level of mobilization... no ordinary commander could issue such an order so quickly."
He glanced toward the entrance of the cave and added, "The number of Iwa-nin is increasing fast. Tsunade, if we don't break out soon—we're going to die here."
Tsunade's heart trembled. She gritted her teeth and said, "I can do it!"
"But let's wait just a bit longer—once Jiraiya's healed, we'll break out together."
"If it's just the two of us, we might not make it through their encirclement."
Orochimaru was about to respond when suddenly, the entire cave began to shake, as if it might collapse.
He quickly formed hand seals, and stone pillars rose from the ground, propping up the ceiling.
Outside—
A large number of Iwa-nin had surrounded the entire mountain. Seeing that Earth-Style: Bedrock Coffin wasn't enough to bring the whole mountain down, they instead switched to Earth-Style: Iron Rock Cannon, unleashing a hailstorm of rock bullets that pounded into the mountainside, blasting open hole after hole.
Rocks crashed down in waves as the mountain's surface continued to erode.
—
Meanwhile, in a mountain stream on the other side—
Hajime was lying motionless in the shallow creek.
The effects of the technique still hadn't worn off.
He couldn't move.
"As expected of the Third Tsuchikage… I was nearly killed by him."
"Even the strongest abilities have weaknesses. The Third Tsuchikage was too sharp."
"And I relied too heavily on teleportation."
"If I hadn't used it so often… I might've already finished him off."
Hajime sighed to himself, reflecting inwardly.
He had to admit: the Third Tsuchikage was incredibly powerful—his reactions and jutsu execution were top-tier.
Even after being caught by surprise, Ōnoki had managed to harden his body in time to withstand Hajime's second attack.
If he hadn't blocked that Wind Release: Rasengan, he would've been finished.
But there were no "ifs."
Ōnoki didn't survive by luck. He had used sheer strength and skill to survive Hajime's assault—and even turned the tables on him.
"Even for me, his counterattack came out of nowhere."
Reflecting on the fight, Hajime thought, "My first teleportation caught him off guard, but my attack wasn't fully prepared."
"Because that first strike didn't deal a critical blow, he had time to react and counter."
His brief clash with Ōnoki made Hajime realize something: the Kage of each village were truly formidable. They were nothing like the leaders of places like the Sky Ninja Village, who at best were on the level of elite jōnin.
There was indeed a significant gap between a Kage and an elite jōnin.
And not just in raw jutsu power—there were differences in combat awareness, experience, casting speed, and countless subtle details.
As he pondered this, Hajime felt the weight on his body lighten slightly. He immediately burst forth with chakra.
Boom!
A burst of blue chakra erupted from his body, sending water splashing in all directions.
Hajime had finally broken free from the Ultra-Added Weight Rock Technique.
However, the surge of chakra immediately drew the attention of nearby Iwa-nin. One after another, they leapt toward his position.
A signal flare shot into the sky.
Ōnoki, flying high above, spotted the flare and sped over immediately, followed closely by three Iwa-nin.
Hajime leapt into the air, blinking rapidly between treetops—until he spotted Ōnoki soaring in from the distance.
Ganging up on the weak? Shameless!
Hajime vanished once more.
Boom!
An Iwa-nin was slammed into the ground by a Rasengan, buried halfway into the earth.
As the furious shouts of Iwa-nin echoed around, Hajime's figure vanished. When he reappeared, he was crouched in front of two Iwa-nin, plunging his twin blades into their stomachs.
A nearby Iwa-nin reacted in time and was about to strike—but Hajime vanished once again.
This time, he appeared mid-air.
Ōnoki's expression darkened.
This guy's chakra... still that abundant?
"I didn't expect that Lord Third Tsuchikage would personally come after me," Hajime said with a light laugh.
Ōnoki responded coldly, "You've inherited Lord Hashirama's power. That alone makes you worth my attention."
"But I did underestimate you. I never thought you had mastered space-time ninjutsu."
"However, your chakra should be just about depleted by now, no?"
Hajime replied, "No need for you to worry about that, Lord Tsuchikage. I've still got enough left to kill a few more people."
At that moment, Ōnoki realized—taking down this man wouldn't be easy.
No one could tell just how many times he could still teleport.
And against such an opponent, besides himself, almost no one else could deal with him.
Even with tight coordination... the teleportation was just too fast.
Too difficult to catch.
Unless… at the very instant he strikes to kill.
But even then, it was nearly impossible to time it right.
Ōnoki took a silent, cold breath. "Kid, leave."
"If you run out of chakra—you won't escape alive."
Hajime paused for a moment, then chuckled. "Pity. I actually wanted another round with you, Lord Tsuchikage."
He really did wonder—could he take Ōnoki down?
But... it would be tough.
Was this really the real Ōnoki in front of him?
Not necessarily.
And truthfully, Hajime had burned through a lot of chakra.
"Next time, I hope we can have a fair fight, Lord Tsuchikage."
With that, Hajime turned, flickered several times, and vanished from Ōnoki's sight.
—
On the eastern side of the Land of Rain, while Ōnoki was mobilizing his forces to hunt down Hajime and his team, Danzo keenly sensed the shift in the Iwa-nin front lines and personally led his men into the battlefield.
But before he could get a clear grasp of the situation, Danzo ran into Crow, one of the Root ninja, who had crossed the battlefield.
"Lord Danzo, the Third Tsuchikage has appeared in the Land of Rain and is currently pursuing Alpha!"
Crow's words struck Danzo like a thunderclap.
The Third Tsuchikage… is on the battlefield?!
Alpha is in danger!
And so are Tsunade and the others!
"Ten! Immediately report to Others. Have them bring reinforcements to the front lines and use this opportunity to break through the Iwa-nin's defenses!"
Danzo issued orders decisively.
Shimura Daichi immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to relay the message.
In the drizzling rain, Danzo's expression turned grim and uncertain.
To him, this was an excellent opportunity to use Iwa-nin to eliminate Tsunade and the others.
He clearly remembered Hajime once analyzing that those three—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—could one day pose a threat to his bid for Hokage.
But… there were too many uncertainties in this situation.
And then there was Hajime, the Wood Release user. While he was just a pawn that could be sacrificed in the future, for now, he couldn't die—Danzo hadn't yet restarted his Wood Release research.
After hesitating for a moment, Danzo gave another order: "Pegasus, go tell Hatake Sakumo to lead a team and tear open a path through the Iwa-nin line. I'll organize the rescue of Tsunade's team myself!"
Aburame Ryoma nodded and immediately turned to deliver the order to Hatake Sakumo.
(End of Chapter)
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