Aozora understood the mindset of his Kage Bunshin and Keshin.
Unlike the original body, both felt their lives had never truly been in their own hands. So at every chance to prove themselves, they jumped in eagerly.
Fortunately, they knew to focus on completing Aozora's missions before boosting their own presence.
With a helpless look, Aozora accepted it. "Fine, Taiyi then. Anyway, we're not in Pangu World, so there probably won't be much karmic consequence!"
Corpse Crow—no, Taiyi—spoke joyfully, eyes sparkling. "We're both crows! I inherited your chakra, and I can even spit out golden fire. Once I master [Shapeshifting], I'll eventually evolve into the Three-legged Solar Crow!"
Aozora imagined summoning a Three-legged Solar Crow capable of scorching the heavens and boiling the seas. He couldn't help but feel slightly excited himself.
"As long as you're happy!"
Aozora paused for a moment, then asked, "Hua…Taiyi, earlier when the Kage Bunshin was pulled into another dimension by Obito's Kamui, could you sense it?"
The [Reverse Summoning Jutsu] could be used to summon Kage Bunshin. During Naruto's battle against the Six Paths of Pain, he once summoned a Shadow Clone refining Sage Chakra at Mount Myōboku to transfer Sage Chakra to himself.
This was also why Aozora summoned Keshin Taiyi—he wanted to find out whether Space–Time Ninjutsu could be used to enter and exit Obito's Kamui dimension.
Taiyi nodded. "I sensed something, though it was blurry. If we want to use Reverse Summoning Jutsu, it might require a massive amount of chakra."
Upon hearing this, a relieved smile finally crept onto Aozora's face. This meant that facing off against Obito with only one Kamui wouldn't leave him too disadvantaged.
Though defeating him would still be difficult, at least Obito wouldn't be able to trap Aozora either.
He continued, "Do you currently have enough chakra reserves to perform Reverse Summoning Jutsu?"
Taiyi replied, "My current chakra reserves are roughly on the level of an Elite Jonin. It should be enough for one Reverse Summoning Jutsu."
"So much chakra?" Aozora asked, surprised.
Taiyi explained, "Firstly, this body naturally stores a large quantity of chakra; secondly, training in the Summoning Realm progresses very quickly."
"Training is faster?" Aozora murmured thoughtfully.
Once all lingering effects of Katsuyu oil have been eliminated completely, he could try practicing [Nine Breaths of Breath Control] within the Summoning Realm.
He wondered if it was truly a paradise for Summoning Beasts or simply a naturally blessed land?
Before that, however, Aozora needed Taiyi to start practicing Reverse Summoning Jutsu!
Thinking this, Aozora sighed inwardly—it looked like he'd have to put up with his Kage Bunshin's chatter again.
That day, Aozora stood in the courtyard and created a Kage Bunshin to let the Keshin practice Reverse Summoning Jutsu.
Boom!
The white smoke dissipated, and the Kage Bunshin vanished instantly, yet Aozora received no memory transfer from it.
Aozora's lips curled upward slightly as he dialed Taiyi in the Summoning Realm using the Cross-realm Phone.
"Taiyi, did you successfully summon the Kage Bunshin?"
On the other side of the line, Taiyi looked at the half-disintegrated Kage Bunshin before replying seriously, "Only halfway!"
Hearing this, Aozora fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, "It's okay. Just keep trying!"
Afterward, Aozora guiltily glanced at his already eagerly preparing Kage Bunshin ready for space-time travel.
Taiyi transmitted through voice, "I will analyze and summarize quickly. I will definitely master Reverse Summoning Jutsu soon!"
"Maybe the Shadow Clones are just too fragile..."
Aozora cut him off directly. "If the Shadow Clones can't complete a proper summoning, don't even think about trying other ideas!"
Letting the Keshin and Shadow Clones entertain themselves, Aozora continued his own cultivation in the courtyard.
Dong! Dong!
After two knocks on the door, Itachi pushed it open and walked in himself.
"Hello, Teacher!"
Itachi politely bowed to Aozora.
"It's Saturday again already!" Aozora smiled.
This month marked the start of the new school term at the Ninja Academy. Itachi had returned to regular classes and only came for weekend tutoring with Aozora now.
Rather than beginning practice with the simplified Dao Yin Lian Qi as usual, Itachi took out a letter and handed it over.
"Teacher, this is a letter from my father."
Taking the letter, Aozora said, "You start practicing first while I read what your father wrote."
Itachi gave a slight nod. He cast a curious glance toward the several Shadow Clones meditating nearby before starting his training seriously beside them.
Lying back on his reclining chair, Aozora opened the letter written by Fugaku.
[Aozora,
I'm sorry I couldn't stand by you sooner, which caused you to suffer such injustice—the village revoking your ninja status and forcing you to resign from the Police Force.
But after some thought, I no longer believe you're foolish enough to be so passive.
Could this be part of your scheme—faking retirement as a way to take unlimited leave for the entire year?
...
In any case, your current status makes you unsuitable for being the Flying Tigers' instructor anymore.
I assume your vacation is probably almost over. If I'm not mistaken, you were both the initiator and director of the Sleeping Dragon Plan.
That Daimyo's trying to reduce Konoha's budget through these baseless accusations—it proves he can't be trusted. I believe your Sleeping Dragon Plan is now urgently needed. It's time to put it into action.
I've already informed Hachidai, Kotetsu, and Keimei—they'll provide every convenience possible.
Additionally, with the front lines stabilizing recently, I've arranged for Shin'ya, Shuichi, Genya, and Kagenbi to return secretly to the village. They will assist you in implementing the Sleeping Dragon Plan.
...
Finally, speaking selfishly as a father, I hope you could invest more effort into developing Itachi.]
After finishing the letter, Aozora conjured flames between his fingers and burned Fugaku's letter to ashes immediately.
Good things rarely come twice, but bad luck? Always shows up in pairs.
Although lying down was comfortable, there were always people in this world who wouldn't let you relax peacefully.
He'd barely managed a month of peaceful cultivation when schemer Obito showed up, followed closely by Fugaku, always ready to rope him into work.
What could one do?
Life's like that—you just gotta roll with it when you can't fight back.
The Sleeping Dragon Plan was a task Aozora had originally taken on, completing early preparations before temporarily suspending it due to Iwagakure's invasion.
Now that Fugaku had brought it up again, Aozora couldn't easily refuse.
Fortunately, with Shin'ya and Shuichi working together as assistants, it wouldn't require excessive energy.
However, the original plan had become somewhat outdated. Now Aozora aimed not only at the military system within the Daimyo's court, but also planned to get involved in the underground black market.
After returning to the village, he slowly began recalling some pieces of information regarding Maketu.
Maketu led the radical faction of the Guardian Shinobi [an elite force sworn to protect Konoha], triggering internal conflict within their ranks. Later on, he even commanded a squad to perform a jutsu similar to the [Impure World Reincarnation], attempting to destroy Konoha with this technique.
Considering that the Daimyo was one of the secret backers of the Black Market, Aozora suspected that most of the corpses collected by the Black Market had become materials for the [Reanimation Jutsu] practiced by Maketu's group.
Since this occurred a long time ago, Aozora could no longer clearly remember the name or effects of the jutsu. To prevent future harm or deception by Maketu and his followers, Aozora decided to investigate them through the Black Market.
Itachi watched Aozora burn the letter before curiously asking, "Teacher, what did Father write about in his letter?"
Aozora smiled and replied, "He said he entrusted you to me. If you misbehave, I'm free to discipline you however I see fit."
Itachi rolled his eyes dramatically and said, "Father would never say something like that!"
Aozora didn't argue back but said instead, "Itachi, tomorrow come with Teacher to Training Ground 35."
Itachi asked doubtfully, "Training Ground 35? Isn't that where the [Flying Tigers] train and are stationed?"
As far as he could recall, Teacher had already stepped down from his role as Chief Instructor of the [Flying Tigers]!
Aozora nodded and said, "Exactly. Tomorrow, Teacher will take you to observe the [Flying Tigers]' training — you'll gain some valuable experience."
The [Flying Tigers] were mostly composed of Uchiha elites. Aozora wanted to go there to assess and personally select a few individuals.
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