Chapter 7: The Radar Technique
In the Land of Rivers, capturing low-level summons like water bats wasn't difficult. The real challenge was acquiring a summoning scroll. Sasuke had been forced to spend the vast majority of the mission merits he had painstakingly saved just to exchange for a primary-level scroll and a complimentary textbook, On the Care and Cultivation of Summoning Beasts. The scroll, a basic model supplied to Konoha by the Uzumaki clan, was only capable of contracting genin-level beasts, yet it was still exorbitantly expensive.
But you got what you paid for. The Uzumaki products were reliable, and the contract with the water bat went smoothly.
Thanks to continuous training with his new summon, and by cross-referencing it with the mimicry techniques he observed from Ryo, Sasuke began to analyze and deconstruct the bat's abilities. It took several months, but he finally achieved a partial transformation, allowing him to borrow the bat's chakra and replicate its ultrasonic echolocation.
That ultrasonic perception had saved his squad from the brink of death time and time again. Since then, not a single member had been lost. Not even injured.
As he used the ability more frequently, he began applying the scientific principles of sonar from his past life. He deconstructed the bat's ability, using his own chakra to simulate its organs and replicate the ultrasonic frequency. He was reverse-engineering it.
Hard work paid off. After tens of thousands of attempts, he finally succeeded. Without the aid of the summoned beast, he could use the special properties of his own chakra to simulate the bat's echolocation. The range was less than a hundred meters—a far cry from the three kilometers he could achieve with the bat—but it was a staggering achievement nonetheless.
He had, in essence, created a new ninjutsu. A rare and powerful perception technique. With further development, he was confident its potential could rival even the Second Hokage's Earth-Sensing Technique. He had to marvel at the strange twists of fate. At first, he had struggled to obtain a single C-rank jutsu, and now, he had accidentally created a perception technique with limitless potential, all based on a passionate spirit of scientific exploration.
"Captain, it's at least a full squad of Sand Village puppet masters."
At that moment, Ryo provided a more specific piece of intelligence, his face grim. After delivering the information, his gaze couldn't help but drift toward Chōmi. It seemed the Will of Fire in his heart was wavering just a little.
"Ryo, are you scared?" Tekudō asked, his own face tense but resolute. He then turned to his captain, a fawning look on his face. "With the captain here, a few puppet masters are nothing but chickens and dogs, right, my esteemed captain?"
"Alright, you three continue the patrol. I'll go provide support alone."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. He knew his old subordinate's tricks all too well. It's not that I don't want to give you a chance to earn merits, he thought, it's just that you'd be useless.
"Captain, how can you say that!" Ryo immediately protested. With the glory of his clan before him, his Will of Fire took ideological precedence. They had to go together.
Tekudō, for all his bluster, was also a loyal man. How could he let his captain face danger alone? And Chōmi, seeing Tekudō's resolve, voiced no objection.
"Since you're all so grateful," Sasuke said with a sigh, "I suppose I'll help you make a small fortune this time."
"Let's go!"
He broke into the classic ninja run, leaning forward, arms stretched back. In just a few seconds, he had covered nearly a hundred meters.
"Captain," Ryo called out, keeping pace beside him, "isn't this the wrong direction for providing support?"
Tekudō, however, just grinned. This is the captain I know. He thought to himself, So it wasn't about a heroic charge. It was a "strategic" support mission. Going to the main base to call for reinforcements is also a form of support, isn't it?
Sasuke, either unaware of or unconcerned with Tekudō's thoughts, continued to run while sharing his battlefield experience.
"The key to conventional ninja warfare is intelligence and tactical maneuvering," he explained. "Take advantage of intelligence asymmetry. Catching the enemy off guard is the best strategy."
Ryo suddenly understood. "Captain, are you planning to ambush the Sand ninjas' path of advance?" he asked, his eyes full of admiration.
Of course. Rushing in to support the Aoba Squad now would be a senseless sacrifice; they were surely already wiped out. But if they set up an ambush along the enemy's route, they could not only stop them but might even have a chance to annihilate the entire puppet team. With the mobile patrol team nearby, they only needed to hold them for a few minutes.
"As expected of the captain," Ryo said, his voice filled with awe. "Such rich combat experience!"
Tekudō, hearing the plan, also felt much more confident. He was already starting to calculate the mission merits they might earn, and whether he should spend them on ninjutsu or on more exploding-tag "wives."