Chapter 131: A Respecced A
An awkward thing happened. A month had passed since the Land of Whirlpools had mobilized its ninja units, yet the Hidden Mist Village remained completely silent, as if they had abandoned their plans to attack.
The purpose of the mobilized ninja units had thus shifted to intensive training. Under the leadership of Masahiko's three disciples, the Uzumaki ninjas began a period of arduous, nationwide cultivation.
"Sigh, waiting for someone else to attack is so troublesome," Masahiko lamented.
The Land of Whirlpools lacked the capability for active aggression. First of all, while the number of ninjas exceeded that of any single clan, compared to the Five Great Ninja Villages, the number of combat-ready ninjas was still too small. As for Masahiko going alone, that wouldn't be aggression; it would be destruction. How much could he carry back on his own? War is fought for profit; causing destruction for destruction's sake is what terrorist organizations do. If not for this, Masahiko would have already considered launching an attack on the Hidden Mist himself.
"Sensei! Let's exercise together!"
Masahiko shook his head as he watched Kento-kun run past with a squad of ninjas.
"An old man like me is better suited for Gentle Fist. Hot-blooded training methods don't seem right for me." Since practicing the Gentle Fist, his "Tai" (Body) attribute had increased by nearly 700 points, crossing the 1500 mark—almost doubling his previous stat. Compared to his past intense physical training, the results were clearly superior.
"What exactly is the Hidden Mist waiting for?" Masahiko muttered, utterly perplexed. Wars in other regions had gradually started breaking out a month ago; the Second Great Ninja War could be said to have officially erupted. The only major players who hadn't joined the fray were the Uzumaki and the Hidden Mist.
"No, there's also the Hidden Cloud." Masahiko narrowed his eyes. "Although they haven't fully recovered, their position as a Great Nation is no longer teetering on the edge of collapse."
"Could they be waiting for the Cloud?"
In reality, Masahiko had completely wronged the Hidden Mist. A month ago, the Hidden Mist had already assembled its troops, ready to attack the Whirlpool.
Due to repeated failures in sealing the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, the Hidden Mist had long set its sights on the Uzumaki clan. Moreover, they hadn't initially taken the Uzumaki clan seriously.
Masahiko hadn't really dealt with the Hidden Mist much over the years. So, while they knew the Great Elder of the Uzumaki clan was strong, they didn't know the specifics of his power.
However, just as their fleet left the Land of Water, they witnessed a sudden, blinding white light strike the sea surface a few kilometers away. The resulting massive vortex generated immense gravitational force. Although the ninjas could walk on water using chakra and escape, all their ships were destroyed.
So it wasn't that the Hidden Mist didn't want to attack; they simply had no ships left. They couldn't rely on ninjas running tens of kilometers across the water; arriving at the Whirlpool in that state would just be serving themselves up on a platter.
During this time, the Hidden Mist was frantically building new ships and trying hard to find the source of that white light.
Thus, unknowingly, the peaceful days of the Uzumaki extended for another month, and barring any accidents, they would have continued.
However, accidents always happen when least expected. For example, a Cloud invasion—less than fifty miles from the Land of Whirlpools.
When Masahiko first received the news, he thought he had misheard.
Unlike the Hidden Mist, the Third Raikage A knew Masahiko's strength all too well. He had personally experienced Masahiko's invincible form with the Seventh Gate open. Over the years, Masahiko hadn't completely disappeared from the ninja world, so rumors of his death wouldn't have circulated. under these circumstances, it was very surprising that the Cloud dared to take the initiative.
"What gave them the courage?" Masahiko muttered.
Beside him, Izuko-kun spoke up: "Sensei, the Hidden Cloud is no different. We can..."
Masahiko waved his hand, interrupting her. "The Hidden Cloud won't work."
"The Hidden Mist hasn't found a way to seal their Jinchuriki yet; their Tailed Beast is currently just a decoration. But the Hidden Cloud... the seal for the Two-Tails is mature, and while the Eight-Tails is unstable, both can appear on the battlefield. If I send our clansmen there and happen to miss a Tailed Beast Ball... it would be a disaster."
"Don't look at our clan's Chakra Diffusion Cannons, which are said to have the power of a Tailed Beast Ball; real Tailed Beasts are different after all."
Izuko-kun was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and nodded. "In the end, you still have to solve it, Sensei."
Masahiko shook his head. "The Cloud knows my strength very well; they wouldn't come unprepared. The most likely scenario is that they have formed a temporary alliance with the Hidden Mist."
"So, you still need to keep a close eye on things here."
Izuko-kun hesitated. "Sensei, if they have other preparations, will you really be okay?"
Masahiko smiled. "Even if they have other preparations, they are targeted at the 'me' from sixteen years ago. The current me is different."
"I'm more worried about your side, in case the Hidden Mist attacks... Anyway, I'll finish the battle quickly."
Izuko-kun nodded. "Be careful, Sensei."
Masahiko said no more. He stood up directly and flew toward the direction of the Hidden Cloud. He didn't want the battle to take place within the Land of Whirlpools, causing unnecessary destruction; intercepting them outside was best.
However, the speed of the Cloud's advance exceeded Masahiko's expectations. Just as he flew to the border of the Land of Whirlpools, he sensed a large number of chakra fluctuations.
Masahiko slowly descended, facing a large group of ninjas rushing toward him.
Leading them was the Third Raikage, A. Seeing Masahiko, he waved his hand, signaling the troops behind him to stop.
Masahiko frowned, suddenly feeling something was off.
"A, haven't seen you in years. You seem... thinner?"
Masahiko wasn't teasing; it was a fact. Compared to over a decade ago, A looked a whole size smaller.
"Uzumaki Masahiko!" A gritted his teeth as he shouted Masahiko's name. "Thanks to you!"
Masahiko paused, looking blank. "Thanks to me?"
A didn't explain further. Lightning flickered, and he vanished from his spot.
"Elbow Bolt!"
Still the familiar formula, still the familiar taste. After more than a decade, A still used the same familiar move as a greeting gift.
However, times change, and Masahiko's way of returning the greeting was different too.
He lightly raised his right hand and gently brushed A's elbow. A strange force appeared, causing A's elbow to turn inward and strike his own chest. With a muffled thud, he was actually knocked back dozens of meters by his own attack.
"Raikage-sama!" Several cries of alarm rang out.
"Hitting yourself flying... you really have a knack for high-difficulty moves. Kids, don't try this at home. Uh, without chakra, you really can't imitate it anyway."
With normal Taijutsu, it's absolutely impossible to hit yourself flying. But Nintaijutsu is different; it doesn't rely entirely on physical strength.
Masahiko looked carefully at his opponent and suddenly sighed. "Judging by that speed just now, did you respec your points? To dodge my Dust Release, you focused more on speed."
"But forgive me for being blunt: you are suited for a tank build, not an assassin build."
A obviously didn't understand the gaming terminology. He waved his hand, and two ninjas came to his side.
Masahiko looked at them. As expected, one was the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, and the other was the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
"Sigh, if you hadn't put your points in the wrong stats, this battle might have been interesting. But now, I find it a bit boring..."
Would you like me to translate the battle against the Raikage and the Jinchuriki?
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