The rooftop tiles groaned beneath the force of Crane's body as he crashed into the shattered stone. His chakra vanished instantly, concealed to perfection, just a second after he had crippled the Sound Four. A sharp gaze sliced through the thick smoke and locked onto his position, Kabuto Yakushi.
Crane didn't even need to look. He could feel the calculating coldness behind those glinting glasses. Was he exposed? Not yet. Before Kabuto's eyes could lock onto him, Crane's eyelids flipped, his limbs twitched, and he collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He "fainted" on cue.
The posture was impeccable. The timing, flawless. Just another unconscious civilian lost in the genjutsu.
Kabuto's gaze hovered briefly before shifting toward the battlefield's heart, drawn by an overwhelming clash of chakra. A frightened Genin wasn't worth his time. Crisis, averted. For now.
But behind his shut eyes, Crane's mind was razor-sharp. His consciousness had already detached from the chaos.
[White Eye Insight (Trial) , Activated]
With a faint buzz, the world changed. Colorless. Formless. Only the radiant lines of chakra streams and energy flows remained. His sight pierced layers of walls and smoke until it locked onto the Four Purple Flame Formation, where the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen battled Orochimaru.
Once master and student. Now enemies to the death.
On either side of Orochimaru stood the reanimated First and Second Hokage, their movements flawless and their jutsu overwhelming. Every flow of chakra, every hand seal, every exchange of blows, Crane devoured it all. From Earth Style: Earth Flow Shuriken to Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb and Water Dragon Bullet, each technique was a masterclass in itself. This was the summit of shinobi power. This was Kage.
Crane absorbed every detail greedily, until he noticed Sarutobi's chakra shift, burning with a decisive resolve. The Reaper Death Seal.
The ghastly specter of the Shinigami rose behind the aging Hokage, and at that instant, a system prompt detonated inside Crane's mind:
[Warning! High-Energy Soul Signature Detected: Sarutobi Hiruzen]
[Contained Knowledge: "Ninjutsu Professor's Legacy"]
[Upon Soul Departure: Knowledge Will Dissipate]
[Special Task Triggered: Soul Resonance Copy]
[Success grants 100% inheritance of all ninjutsu knowledge including elemental arts, secrets, and forbidden jutsu]
[Risk: Extreme mental overload. Estimated success rate: <10%]
His heartbeat skipped. This was no mere opportunity, it was the leap to the summit. But he was too far away.
He scanned the battlefield and spotted a Chunin stumbling in his direction. Perfect.
A thread of chakra snaked from Crane's fingers and coiled silently around the man's ankle. As the unsuspecting Chunin ran past, Crane yanked.
The Chunin yelped, lost his balance, and tumbled forward. His foot, completely by "accident", slammed squarely into Crane's ribs, sending him tumbling backward like a rag doll across broken tiles.
He spun and crashed hard against the invisible wall of the Four Purple Flame Formation.
No one paid attention. Just another casualty of chaos.
Inside the barrier, the battle had reached its peak. Hiruzen's hand plunged through Orochimaru's chest but failed to grasp the slithering soul. The Reaper's hand, however, ripped straight through the Hokage, snatching his soul from his body.
Crane's vision narrowed.
[Soul Resonance Copy... Commencing]
Then, impact.
It felt like the contents of the entire Hidden Leaf Village's jutsu archive had been stuffed into his skull. No, an entire nation's worth. Elemental chakra principles, thousands of hand seals, forbidden jutsu, chakra flow mechanics, yin-yang release techniques, all of it crashed into his brain in a deafening surge.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to laugh.
Instead, he bled.
First his nose. Then his eyes. Then his ears and mouth.
This was no longer an act. It was reality.
His mental defenses buckled, and Crane passed out cold, body limp, blood seeping from every orifice.
A perfect disguise.
Within the collapsing barrier, Orochimaru retreated, his arms useless, supported by Kabuto. The moment before they vanished, Kabuto's eyes swept across the battlefield, and lingered.
That kunai. The one that shattered the Sound Four's balance, who threw it?
A sliver of doubt flashed through him.
Meanwhile, ANBU arrived to clear the field.
"We've got a survivor here!"
A medical-nin checked Crane's pulse, frowning slightly.
"High cranial pressure, chakra shock... looks like he witnessed the Reaper Death Seal from too close and passed out from spiritual overload. Explains the bleeding."
"Stretcher! Hurry!"
Before they could lift him, a shadow appeared.
Kakashi.
He stared down at the unconscious Crane, bloody, unconscious, yet once again suspiciously close to something far above his pay grade.
Wave Mission. Chunin Exams. Now here?
Once is luck. Twice is coincidence.
But three times?
The Sharingan spun in his eye, quietly.
"This kid..." Kakashi murmured. "His luck is... unsettling."
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter