On a peak at the edge of Konoha.
Two men wearing straw hats and Akatsuki robes stood there in silence.
"The vitality of this village... is always so vigorous," one commented, his tone neutral. Obito looked at Itachi's figure, a different kind of fluctuation in his eyes.
"The village will never lack vitality. Even if the old leaves wither, they will eventually become nutrients for the new leaves." Itachi pressed down the straw hat on his head with his hand, gave a deep look at the view before him, then turned to leave.
"Heh." A cold smile appeared on the corner of Obito's mouth. The Will of Fire. Even after slaughtering his clan, joining the Akatsuki, and being branded as an S-rank missing-nin by Konoha, he still insists on holding onto it. This kind of thing... is truly... utterly laughable.
Ever since Kisame's death, Obito, as "Tobi," had been temporarily paired with Itachi. As a former member of Konoha, he had been assigned to monitor the situation here. However, the two of them maintained a tacit understanding and did not get too close.
The sword of Hatake Kusuo had already taught them both a lesson that was carved into their bones. Itachi's body was getting weaker and weaker. And on the left side of Obito's chest, the half of his body that had not been injured in his childhood now bore a scar running from right to left. He had chosen not to heal it, but to deliberately keep it as a lesson.
Looking at Itachi's back, a strange light flickered in the eye hidden behind Obito's spiral mask. The plan to capture the Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts had not yet begun, but the Akatsuki's manpower had already suffered too many losses, so many that it was unacceptable. And with the major events about to break out, who knew what kind of battles would occur.
He was considering whether to share Hashirama's cells with Itachi to mend his weakened body. Hashirama's cells... they could almost infinitely extend the power of the user's eyes, allowing them to freely activate their dojutsu without any side effects. Their physical functions could naturally be improved as well.
'I should still observe him for a while. A man who still believes in the Will of Fire even now... Itachi, you really make things difficult for me.'
With a cold laugh, Obito also turned to leave, following Itachi's footsteps. As he was leaving, he turned his head back one more time to look in Konoha's direction. There... was something of his. He would get it back.
"Kakashi... heh..." With a low murmur, Obito and Itachi turned and vanished.
...
Under a roaring waterfall, four people were training hard. This place was an excellent location for training chakra control. The immense impact of the water flow was incredibly powerful and could be used to hone one's mastery over their chakra. Therefore, Kusuo had brought Hinata, Hanabi, and Shion here to train.
"Hinata, Hanabi, although your starting points aren't very high, your foundation is solid. I've already taught you all the secrets of the breathing method, and you've more or less mastered them. The most important thing now is to completely integrate the breathing sword techniques into your Gentle Fist. Once the new ninjutsu is successfully developed, in the future, the Hyuga clan's attack range and power will no longer be as limited as before. Remember, this is your first step to breaking away from being low-to-mid-level ninja, and also the most important step," Kusuo said very solemnly to the two sisters.
Hinata and Hanabi both listened seriously, nodding like pecking chickens. Their father had already instructed them. The future of the Hyuga clan now rested on Kusuo's shoulders. Regardless of whether they had the opportunity to find or evolve the legendary Tenseigan in the future, the breathing method Kusuo had bestowed upon them would be the Hyuga's most important asset. They carried a mission. They were both the pioneers and the founders, the future of the Hyuga clan.
After giving some more key points and development directions for their training, Kusuo turned his head and took Shion's hand. "Your starting point is very high. As a priestess, you yourself already seal a Tailed Beast-level amount of chakra. After subduing Mōryō, your chakra and strength have both improved by leaps and bounds. What you need to do now is to properly hone this power. Start with tree-climbing and water-walking, and slowly train your ability to precisely control your chakra. When you have spare energy, try to use the breathing method I taught you to stand in the waterfall and hold on for as long as you can. Remember?"
Shion opened her large, amber eyes and nodded seriously. She said in a sweet voice, "I know!"
"Very good!" Kusuo clapped his hands. "Since you all understand your future paths, let's start the extra training!"
With that, the three girls each found a suitable spot and began to train. Kusuo himself guarded the periphery of the waterfall, keeping watch. He had already informed Tsunade in advance that for the next few months, no one was allowed to approach this waterfall. It was a privilege he had earned for his many contributions to Konoha, a power move. Tsunade naturally had no objections, though she was a little curious about his reasons.
Actually, it was very simple. If Kusuo turned his head, he would see the figures of the three girls, their clothes soaked through by the waterfall's flow. Such a graceful and moving scenery... he couldn't let outsiders see it. Not even other women.
Holding his sword, he watched Hinata and Hanabi on the waterfall bridge, gritting their teeth and resisting the flow of the water. It reminded him of the scene of Naruto training his Rasenshuriken in the original story.
Regarding the path for the two sisters, or rather, the future breakthrough for the entire Hyuga clan, he had two directions in mind. The first was Thunder Breathing. It could be seen as being of the same nature as the Cloud Village's lightning-attribute body tempering secret art, but it was more comprehensive and of a higher level. After all, the things bestowed by the system were all monstrously powerful. Imagine, every move carrying the power of thunder, their form, speed, and power all enhanced by lightning. The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms could shoot out sixty-four lightning palm winds, striking a person dead from a distance. How much despair would that bring to the enemy?
The second was Wind Breathing. The sharpness of the wind attribute needed no further explanation; its attack power was the strongest. Especially after mastering the cutting attribute, the Hyuga's acupoint strikes would no longer just seal your meridians and chakra. Instead, they would directly punch bloody holes. Every acupoint strike would carry the cutting property of the wind, sharp to the extreme.
As for the other styles like Sun, Moon, Water... it wasn't that they couldn't be used, but it depended on who was more suitable. Kusuo really wasn't sure which style was more suitable for Hinata. But Hanabi could definitely try to fuse with Thunder Breathing. A loli shining with lightning, moving like the wind on the battlefield... just thinking about it was amazing.
"`ˇBut Shion... she's a bit of a headache." He gently tapped his head. Kusuo felt it was a bit of a pity for this girl who was as passionate as fire, yet刁蛮 (diāomán) - willful and bossy. It was a pity that she had been raised as a priestess since she was young. Her sealing jutsu was炉火纯青 (lú huǒ chún qīng) - at the peak of perfection, in no way inferior to the Uzumaki clan's. But when it came to chakra control and the use of power, she was completely clueless. This could be seen from her control over the terracotta army that day. Compared to Mōryō, who had its own consciousness, there was a world of difference. The latter could summon an army of a million in an instant. Shion, on the other hand, needed a long casting time. The two couldn't be compared at all.
Sigh. But there was still time. In any case, this move was to be used against an army of reanimated corpses or a joint attack from multiple countries, not for the split-second life-or-death battles on a battlefield. As long as she could cast the jutsu, it was fine.
Currently, dark undercurrents were surging in the ninja world. Every gust of wind and blade of grass in the dark seemed to be heralding the arrival of some major event.
"Heh, come on. I've been waiting for you for a long time," Kusuo's gaze looked off into the distance, at an unknown place. The strength in his thumb was slightly revealed.
CLANG! The sword hummed. A section of the snow-white blade shone brightly, dazzlingly colorful under the reflection of the sun, yet it revealed an icy coldness
-------
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