"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Hyuga Arin's figure flickered, and one person instantly became two.
"External Avatar really does look pretty good." ×2
Both spoke in unison.
The two of them simultaneously stroked their chins, sizing up the person standing before them.
"No wonder it can rebel—identical thoughts, identical actions," the two Hyuga Arins said at the same time.
Moreover, this External Avatar was nothing like a shadow clone that shattered with a touch. It had flesh and blood, could cultivate on its own, and was indistinguishable from a real person.
No one could tell it was a clone.
At the same time, as the main body, Hyuga Arin now had two fields of vision.
One was his own, and the other belonged to the avatar.
The avatar itself did not possess a game panel.
Every time an avatar was created, it was a full copy of Hyuga Arin's current abilities. Any skill the original possessed, the avatar could use as well.
If Hyuga Arin upgraded a skill after creating the avatar, the avatar would not change at all—unless he created a new one to update it.
"Now I'm not worried about it rebelling," Hyuga Arin said, staring at his avatar and suddenly falling silent.
Because the avatar had realized something.
It was the fake one.
"This is ridiculous," the avatar Hyuga Arin cursed under his breath. "Hey, original—when are you going to die so I can take over?"
Hyuga Arin: "???"
Wasn't that rebellion a bit too fast?!
It already wanted him dead?!
Recalling the related information about avatars, he remembered that a so-called avatar was a complete copy of himself.
Talent, ability, mindset—everything was identical.
Was he really that rebellious?
He dismissed the avatar, which turned into a mass of black shadow and vanished.
"Still, the chakra consumption for this avatar is pretty high."
Using it once consumed half of his current chakra reserves. The upside, however, was that once the avatar disappeared, all the abilities and chakra it had accumulated would be synchronized back to Hyuga Arin.
If he could split off several avatars for cultivation, his growth speed would be terrifying.
Unfortunately, this skill could only create a single avatar.
That said, he could still create regular clones—but those would just be level-10, max-level Shadow Clones.
In essence, after any technique he had learned was upgraded to level ten, he could still use the original ninjutsu.
However, techniques with special traits overwrote the original chakra conversion method.
If he wanted to use the original version, he would first need to adjust his chakra circulation. That process took even longer than forming hand seals.
Most of Hyuga Arin's max-level skills were meant for instant combat. Adjusting chakra flow in the middle of a fight would basically be asking to die.
Shadow Clones, on the other hand, weren't instant-combat abilities. They could be cast midway; although they took longer, as long as he prepared in advance, it wasn't a problem.
"This avatar will be extremely useful during a period of peace."
Hyuga Arin already had a solid plan in mind.
…
Hidden Rain Village.
A light drizzle fell, trying in vain to wash away the flames of war engulfing the nation.
A gigantic salamander stood upon the land. Hanzo stood atop it, looking down at the injured Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade below.
"This battle is a victory for Konoha's ninjas, so I'll spare your lives."
Konoha had won the battle—but Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya had lost to Hanzo.
If he truly wanted to kill them, he could easily do so right now.
"We don't need your pity!" Jiraiya roared loudly, supported by Tsunade. "We can still fight!!"
"That's enough, Jiraiya," Tsunade said grimly, cutting him off.
They had already secured Konoha's victory. There was no need to leave their lives here as well.
Hanzo looked down at the three of them. "All three of you are very powerful—and you survived under these circumstances."
"From this day forth, I, Hanzo, shall call you the Three Ninja of Konoha."
"As the price for living, bear the honor I grant you and go on living."
The title of the Three Ninja resounded throughout the entire ninja world, becoming a legend.
Yet few knew that the title itself had been bestowed by Hanzo from the stance of a victor.
It was a name of humiliation.
…
The war was half over.
On all the major battlefields, Konoha had emerged victorious.
Of course, there was also the Mist Ninja front, which had not been mentioned much. Seeing that the other three great ninja villages had all withdrawn, they too chose to retreat.
Otherwise, if Konoha reinforced its troops, Kirigakure would have been finished.
As the name of the Three Ninja echoed across the ninja world, the main fronts came to an end—but this war was not yet completely over.
Konoha had achieved an overwhelming victory, and the other villages had abandoned any thought of attacking Konoha head-on.
Next would come mutual probing, testing how much strength each side still possessed.
If any village showed signs of weakness, the flames of war would reignite.
The main fronts were retained for now. Konoha's primary focus was to withstand the probing of the other great villages while restoring its original mission-based employment system.
War was fought with money as much as with strength. Once the war began, Konoha's income had effectively stopped—every ninja was sent to the front lines, and no missions were accepted at all.
The village relied entirely on funds distributed by the daimyo to maintain operations.
But the daimyo's money was limited. Konoha needed to resume commissioned missions as soon as possible.
Hyuga Arin was among those ordered to return.
He lay atop a cart transporting the remaining supplies back, a stalk of straw in his mouth as he gazed at the sky.
The dark clouds that had once covered the sun had completely dispersed.
"My happy wartime is officially over," Hyuga Arin said with a face full of grief.
From here on out, it would be small-scale conflicts—missions centered around employers, targeting other villages, or conducting reconnaissance against them.
The kind of massive gains that came with full-scale war were no longer possible.
His level had only just entered the realm of jōnin. Though his strength already qualified him as an elite jōnin, his original goal had been to grind all the way up to Kage level during the war.
He was thirteen this year, already nearing the end of it—fourteen wasn't far off.
Yet his strength was still only elite jōnin.
"I've brought shame to all the senior transmigrators."
Who wasn't already Kage-level at thirteen or fourteen after transmigrating? Only him, still muddling around as an elite jōnin.
"But still… there's one more batch of experience waiting to be collected."
Hyuga Arin was holding a scroll in his hand, fully unfurled before him.
It was an intelligence scroll obtained from Root. He didn't know who had placed it in his tent before he left, but he recognized the Root seal on it.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a mission—there was no assignment to assassinate the Uchiha.
What kind of Root didn't kill Uchiha?
There was only a single line of information written on it.
"The Hyuga clan is preparing to take action against you."
The corner of Hyuga Arin's mouth twitched upward. "What perfect timing—just what I needed."
He really wondered how spectacular their expressions would be when the truth about his Caged Bird Seal being ineffective was completely exposed.
An elite jōnin, without the Caged Bird Seal, about to face the suppression of the Hyuga main family.
Hyuga Arin couldn't help but laugh.
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