"I pledge my unwavering loyalty to Lord Danzo."
Umino Yoru solemnly received the Water Release inheritance scroll from the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, and immediately declared his allegiance to Shimura Danzo.
Sure, Danzo might be incompetent—treating all his subordinates as disposable tools—but since he'd handed over such a priceless gift, Umino had no problem shouting a few slogans. The Will of Fire sure was convenient; just spout some ideals, and people would believe you wholeheartedly.
Aburame Ryōma, satisfied with Umino's performance, reassured him: "Lord Danzo holds you in high regard. He initially considered promoting you to a Root jonin, but given the critical importance of the Shinano Forest's left flank defense, he decided to keep you here. Do not disappoint his expectations."
Umino thumped his chest and vowed not to let a single Suna shinobi slip through the Shinano Forest defenses. True to his word, elite Sand ninja attempting infiltration soon found themselves in deep trouble.
Using his Sonic Radar Technique, Umino led his team in sweeping the entire three-layered defense line of Shinano Forest. They uncovered several squads of Suna ninja, and thanks to Nara Shikazo's maneuvering, Umino earned a few more A-rank mission merits.
After delivering the Second Hokage's Water Release scroll, Aburame Ryōma offered a few more words of encouragement before vanishing in a Body Flicker.
Umino immediately created shadow clones to memorize the scroll's contents—he only had one day before it self-destructed. Frontline regulations also forbade him from making handwritten copies.
Normally, learning S-rank forbidden jutsu required having a seal engraved in the brain to prevent leaks. But as Tobirama's Water Release successor, Umino was exempt—he had the right to pass down water techniques to his disciples. Still, Ryōma sternly reminded him: "Before you die, you must destroy your own brain."
The Genius of the Second Hokage
*"The Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique… can be performed with just three hand seals?"*
A quick skim of the scroll left Umino stunned.
The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama—revered as the **"God of Water"**—was truly peerless in Water Release mastery. Only the Second Mizukage could barely rival him.
Beyond simplifying hand seals, Tobirama's understanding of water-natured chakra reached unimaginable heights.
Take Water Style: Water Severing Wave—its power far surpassed that of a typical S-rank forbidden jutsu. Even the S-rank Whirling Water Blade was merely a prerequisite for learning it.
"This technique… it's basically a high-pressure water jet cutter powered by turbocharging!"
Umino realized that Water Severing Wave treated the human body like a hydraulic turbo pump, using water-natured chakra to generate ultra-high-pressure fluid cutting streams.
"This isn't ninjutsu—it's scientific ninja engineering!"
The technique was a perfect fusion of chakra mechanics and fluid dynamics. No wonder Tobirama was hailed as the greatest scientist in the shinobi world—his integration of technology and jutsu was beyond ordinary comprehension.
"So, the path of scientific ninjutsu is absolutely viable."
Umino's resolve to develop techniques based on scientific principles grew even firmer.
Puppet Upgrades & Future Plans
While his shadow clones trained with the Water Release scroll, Umino also worked on modifying puppets into mechanical armored units.
Compared to Water Release, puppetry leaned even harder into science—almost bordering on mechanical ascension.
After acquiring Chiyo's Mirror Matrix Puppets, Umino not only rebuilt ten armored puppets but also enhanced their defenses several times over.
The only disappointment? The Five-Colored Scrolls inside the puppet mechanisms remained unbreakable—not due to poor craftsmanship, but because they relied on advanced sealing techniques beyond his expertise.
"Once the Uzumaki clan falls, I should try to acquire their sealing arts."
The Uzumaki were the undisputed masters of fuinjutsu in the shinobi world. Though they hadn't been wiped out yet, Umino predicted their downfall at the hands of Kumo and Kiri during this war.
Team Benefits & Morale Boost
After memorizing Tobirama's Water Release, Umino opened another scroll from Aburame Ryōma—this one containing five elemental combination jutsu:
Water Release: Turbulent Wave Assault Fire Release: Consecutive Flame Siege Earth Release: Layered Rock Shield Wind Release: Thousand Blade Storm Lightning Release: Ambush Serpent Strike
All C-rank combination techniques.
Since his squad had participated in the 300-puppet battalion battle and earned A-rank merits, they now had the clearance to learn these jutsu. Even Shirakumo Yozora and Tatami Iwashi received S-rank records.
Though Umino had shared mission rewards with his men, splitting them among over a hundred shinobi left too little for C-rank jutsu exchanges. Fortunately, Danzo approved his proposal for a **"ninja loan system"**—where debts were cleared upon death in battle.
After announcing this policy, Umino's prestige skyrocketed.
What commander looks out for his men like this?
Not only did they get free salted fish rations, but now they could even learn C-rank techniques—something previously unimaginable.
The squad leaders, after joining Umino in hunting down Suna infiltration teams and earning A-rank merits, became his most fervent supporters.
For chunin, completing an A-rank mission was a death trap—yet under Umino's leadership, they ambushed elite Sand squads with minimal risk.
No wonder they worshipped him.