"God tier!"
• "Old Thief Masahiko has really made something of himself. He's officially the agent of chaos, handpicked by Madara himself."
• "I remember in the Uchiha Massacre arc, Shisui mentioned that the Black-Robed Man is technically Shisui's subordinate within Madara's organization, right?"
• "Judging by Madara's attitude, he probably doesn't want Shisui gaining too much influence. He doesn't seem to care much about the Old Thief; he just sees him as a pawn."
Bullet comments flooded the screen, analyzing the situation.
Masahiko sat in thought, reviewing the lineup: Obito, Itachi, Shisui, and Jūzō Biwa. If his estimate was correct, this squad was likely heading out to deal with the Fourth Mizukage.
'Has the Mizukage slipped out of their control?'
A realization struck him. After the "Black-Robed Man" saved Shisui, Danzō had been scouring the nations for any trace of the Uchiha prodigy. Kirigakure had likely increased their manpower and vigilance in response.
'Did I inadvertently cause a butterfly effect that altered the timeline?'
Before he could reach a conclusion, the perspective on the screen lifted, transitioning from the wooden cabin to a ship, then to a vast expanse of ocean. The camera panned further, settling on a village shrouded in mist.
Inside a room in the central administrative building of Kirigakure.
"Master Genji, what is the status of the Mizukage?"
"Ever since his encounter with the Konoha Anbu, his emotions have been unstable. The situation remains unchanged," Genji replied, his brow furrowed deeply. "I simply do not know what is happening..."
The scene shifted again.
The broadcast returned to the Konoha Arena.
Masahiko leaned back in his chair. Having connected the plot points, the answer formed in his mind. The spies Danzō sent to Kirigakure to investigate him had stumbled into the situation, inadvertently disturbing the Fourth Mizukage while he was under Obito's control. This destabilized Yagura's mental state.
If not for this, Obito wouldn't have needed to mobilize the Akatsuki to issue orders for capturing the Three-Tails.
'Now that is a massive butterfly effect.'
Masahiko didn't know exactly when Itachi and Jūzō were supposed to make their move in the original timeline, but it was certainly later than this.
He turned his gaze to the light screen.
Currently, the show was broadcasting his duel with Asuma. It opened immediately with Asuma's signature technique, Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning. The production quality was top-tier. The audience already had high expectations for Masahiko and Asuma's strength, so they weren't shocked by the scale of the battle.
However, the moment Asuma suddenly froze, only to be sent flying without any warning...
"WTF? What was that? Teleportation?"
The barrage of comments exploded with surprise.
Through the post-match dialogue between Anko and Kurenai, combined with a helpful diagram provided by the System, the audience finally understood the core mechanic of the technique.
It was the Mirage Principle.
Asuma had sensed something was wrong because both Masahiko and his own orientation kept shifting, causing the position of the "projection" to fluctuate in unnatural ways. But by the time Asuma realized the trick, it was too late.
The battle continued with Asuma mounting a counterattack, the momentum swinging back and forth, but eventually, Masahiko seized the upper hand and claimed victory.
"Ah, Old Ma, Old Ma!"
• "Old Ma got tricked again. But you have to admit, Masahiko has style. If we didn't have the God's Eye view, who would have known he was fighting like that?"
• "Don't blame Old Ma, just blame the Old Thief for being too devious."
• "Am I the only one who noticed the Old Thief's skill list refreshed again?"
• "His cheats are never off. You'll get used to it."
Rows of comments drifted across the screen. By now, the audience had become desensitized to Masahiko's strength. After all, this was likely just the tip of the iceberg. He hadn't even used his Lightning Style, the Lightning Oppression Horizontal, or the Shikotsumyaku. Even if Masahiko suddenly unleashed Earth Style Ninjutsu, the viewers probably wouldn't bat an eye.
However, the scene that followed—Naruto, Kiba, and the others being arrested and subjected to a "test paper assault"—broke the tension, leaving the audience in stitches. It brought back painful memories for many.
The episode concluded with snippets of daily life. Masahiko skimmed through them quickly until lines of text materialized before his eyes.
[Popularity Rating: S]
[Overall Assessment: Excellent]
[Reward Received: Random Kenjutsu Card]
His action scenes in this episode had drawn considerable heat and popularity, and the reward seemed substantial.
A Random Kenjutsu Card.
After claiming the reward, he entered the Training Space. He compared the options on his personalized projection interface and decided to use the item immediately. While there were many people he could ask for instruction in the village, few were powerful enough to be worth the effort. The System item was far more efficient.
The next moment—
[Item Consumed: Random Kenjutsu Card.]
[Drawing...]
[Draw Successful!]
[Reward Acquired: Iai Beheading (Draw and Cut).]
Masahiko's eyes lit up as he synced with the Training Space.
Kenjutsu (Sword Technique) is a subset of Taijutsu. Techniques like Mifune's Iai are pure Kenjutsu, whereas Asuma's Flying Swallow relies on chakra flow, making it Nintaijutsu.
The Iai Beheading he just drew was a quintessential Samurai technique—a quick-draw style mastered by legends like Mifune of the Iron Country and Hanzō of the Salamander.
This was incredibly useful. He needed to master it as quickly as possible.
Time flew by. It was Sunday.
In the training grounds, Masahiko gripped the hilt of his sword.
Suddenly, he drew the blade. Augmented by the Body Flicker Jutsu, his body and arm movements blurred into a single afterimage.
Draw. Flash. Sheath.
The motion was executed in one breath.
Boom!
Behind him, a massive tree groaned and toppled to the ground. Infused with chakra, the blade was incomparably sharp, slicing through the thick trunk in an instant.
[Iai Beheading: Mastery]
This was the result of two days of ceaseless practice within the Training Space.
As Masahiko stood in contemplation, the sound of rustling leaves approached from behind. He turned toward the noise. An Anbu operative rushed over, landing on a nearby branch. The ninja paused for a moment, clearly taken aback by the destruction, before lowering his voice.
"The Hokage summons you."
"Understood. I'll head over immediately."
Masahiko clipped his sword to his waist and used the Body Flicker to race toward the Hokage Residence.
The Anbu ninja remained behind for a moment, looking down at the cleanly severed tree. He observed the cut surface, paused, and then let out a muffled cough beneath his mask.
"Masahiko improves so fast..." he sighed softly.
Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the intelligence report in his hand, indecision clouding his face. He looked up at the masked Anbu standing before his desk.
"Kakashi, what do you think?"
"The intelligence appears genuine, but Orochimaru's intentions... those are difficult for a subordinate to guess," the Anbu replied. He paused briefly before adding, "Additionally, there has been movement from the Land of Lightning recently. They have been frequently dispatching spies into our territory."
"Kill all the spies," Hiruzen said coldly. "We need not worry too much about them."
"Yes, sir!" Kakashi bowed his head.
Hiruzen looked at him, falling silent for a few seconds. "Kakashi, you've been in the Anbu for nearly ten years now, haven't you?"
"Yes," Kakashi nodded.
"Yamato has grown capable enough to handle things on his own now," Hiruzen said gently. "Some of the workload can be transferred to him. Give yourself some time off."
Kakashi remained silent for a long moment before replying, "Thank you, Lord Hokage. But I am fine. I do not need rest."
Hiruzen waved his hand, looking like he wanted to say more but decided against it.
A knock came at the door.
Kakashi bowed slightly, turned to open the door, and exchanged a brief glance with Masahiko before brushing past him to leave.
Masahiko walked into the office.
Hiruzen handed him a document. "Jonin Masahiko, congratulations!"
"It is all thanks to Lord Hokage's cultivation that I stand here today!" Masahiko said, unable to hide his excitement.
Hiruzen laughed. "This is the result of your own hard work; it has nothing to do with me. Sit down, and take a look at this."
He passed another scroll across the desk.
Masahiko accepted it respectfully and began to read carefully. As he scanned the contents, his expression grew solemn.
The scroll stated: Uchiha Itachi is suspected to have traveled to the Land of Water. Objective unknown.
Furthermore, annotations from the Anbu and Root at the bottom of the scroll corroborated the authenticity of parts of Orochimaru's intelligence.
"Orochimaru offered this intelligence voluntarily?" Masahiko asked.
"Yes," Hiruzen nodded.
Masahiko pretended to think deeply. "Last time, I recall Orochimaru abandoned Itachi to escape. Could this be a sign of internal conflict within their organization?"
"It is possible," Hiruzen replied. He looked at Masahiko intently. "Through Danzō, have you had any contact with Orochimaru?"
"I have," Masahiko answered without hesitation. "His contact is a ninja wearing a black robe and a fox mask. His identity is extremely mysterious. I have been investigating him in secret."
"Any leads?"
"I am ashamed to admit, he has only appeared twice, so..." Masahiko put on a look of embarrassment.
Hiruzen waved his hand dismissively. "No matter. Your mission this time is to verify the authenticity of this intelligence."
"Yes, sir!"
After accepting the order, Masahiko also informed Hiruzen about Danzō's commission.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "That works out perfectly. Do both at once. But you must help me clarify what exactly Orochimaru is planning. As for the Ninja Academy, I will arrange for someone to cover your classes."
"Understood. I will immediately contact Lord Danzō to seek further leads, and then depart to track down Orochimaru."