Little did he know that when Kawaki Aoba heard he might gain access to a technique from the Scroll of Seals, his heart raced with anticipation.
Flying Thunder God Technique. Spiritualism Technique. Impure World Reincarnation.
These three were what Aoba yearned for most: instantaneous teleportation, soul projection, and control over life and death.
If he could offer these as sacrifices to gain something better—or perhaps replicate or master one of them—he might not soar straight to the top of the shinobi world, but he could certainly cause a stir.
However, he also understood clearly that unless Hiruzen Sarutobi had lost his mind, there was no chance he'd hand over the Flying Thunder God Technique or the Spiritualism Technique—both were closely guarded, high-level jutsu. As for the last one, Impure World Reincarnation, it was so taboo it was barely even discussed.
Sure enough, after much thought, the Third Hokage finally made his choice.
> "The Darkness Technique. This is a genjutsu developed by my teacher, the Second Hokage. Though it's classified as an A-rank technique, in the right hands, it can rival even S-rank jutsu. It's one of the jutsu he was most proud of."
"...Thank you, Lord Hokage," Aoba replied respectfully with a bow. Yet inside, he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
The Darkness Technique? A jutsu that plunges the target into pitch-black sensory deprivation? Was that really it?
Did Hiruzen expect him to blind opponents mid-battle and outmaneuver them with experience and stealth?
And saying it rivals S-rank techniques… probably meant only against the Uchiha, right? No wonder it was Tobirama Senju's pride—designed with the Uchiha in mind.
After expressing his thanks again, Aoba and his team quietly returned to the Yuhi Clan residence.
Though their overseas mission had been brief, it had been full of unexpected developments. They needed time to digest it all.
---
Meanwhile, not long after their departure, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura each received word from the Anbu and arrived at the Hokage's Office.
"Hiruzen, why summon us now? Is there new movement from Sunagakure?" Danzo, the last to arrive, was the first to speak.
Hiruzen gestured for him to sit, puffed from his pipe, and spoke solemnly:
> "More or less. A team I sent to the Land of Wind just returned with critical intel. Sasori of the Red Sand, a prodigy from Sunagakure, has defected. He assassinated the Third Kazekage… and turned him into a human puppet."
"What?! The Third Kazekage was assassinated? Are you certain?" Homura asked in disbelief.
"The intel is solid, and Sunagakure's recent instability confirms it," Hiruzen said. "I've called you here to prepare for the worst."
"Prepare for the worst…" Koharu muttered, eyes narrowing. "You mean, Sunagakure might provoke a war?"
"Hmph. If Sunagakure dares challenge Konoha, I'll personally lead the charge," Danzo growled. He looked directly at Hiruzen. "This time, they've provoked us. You won't stop me again, will you?"
Hiruzen waved a hand calmly. "Danzo, sit down and listen. If this were only about Sunagakure, I wouldn't be too concerned. But I believe we're on the verge of something much larger… the possible outbreak of the Third Great Shinobi War."
At that, the room fell into stunned silence.
"The Third Great War?! Hiruzen, are you certain?" Homura asked. "It hasn't been that long since the Second."
As his old comrades stared at him in shock, the office filled with tense debate over the looming specter of war.
---
Back at the Yuhi residence, a different kind of clash unfolded.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of rapid physical collisions echoed through the courtyard. Kawaki Aoba was in a taijutsu duel. It was a blur of motion, and from the sidelines, Kurenai Yuhi and Sarutobi Asuma could barely follow his movements.
> "Shunshin no Jutsu!"
"Shigan!" (Finger Pistol)
Two powerful techniques—one a common ninja movement skill, the other a martial technique Aoba had integrated from his own understanding of high-speed combat. His chakra surged, forming streaks and afterimages across the yard.
But despite the speed, Kurenai, the one sparring with him, remained untouched.
> "See, Aoba? This is your flaw," she said calmly mid-battle. "No matter how fast your taijutsu, if it doesn't connect, it's meaningless. That weird Body Flicker of yours might work on Chūnin, but against Jōnin? Unless you catch them by surprise, it's useless."
Her words made Aoba realize just how lucky he had been in his last mission. The elite Jōnin he'd defeated had fallen to a sneak attack—not power or skill.
> "Alright," Kurenai said. "You've gotten a sense of what a Jōnin can do. Now, as your teacher, I'll stop holding back. Be careful."
In a flash, she hurled shuriken to block Aoba's escape routes and closed the distance.
Kurenai was trying to teach him humility—ensure that he didn't let a single lucky win cloud his judgment. But something unexpected happened.
Aoba dodged—cleanly and effortlessly.
> "Sensei… I admit I got complacent after the last mission. That was my flaw. But when I face a Jōnin, I always stay at 120,000% focus."
What Kurenai didn't know was that Aoba had awakened an advanced precognition skill—Observation Haki at a max level.
It let him sense her intent and movements before they happened, giving him the edge.
After several failed attempts, Kurenai realized something was wrong. With his raw reaction speed, Aoba should not have been able to dodge her at all—but he wasn't reacting in real time. He was predicting.
It was… unbelievable.
She tried several more times. No success. Relying on taijutsu alone, she couldn't land a hit on her own student.
"What about using his best genjutsu?"
But Aoba, who had lost his eyesight, was naturally immune to all visual genjutsu. Additionally, the chakra constantly radiating from his body disrupted other forms of genjutsu, acting as a natural defense.
Moreover, even if a genjutsu did take hold, it was doubtful whether it would work on someone like Kawaki Seiyu, who didn't rely on vision to fight.
Following the rise of puppeteers, another category of ninja had emerged—those capable of countering genjutsu through unconventional means.
Yuhi Shin'en's lips twitched. He suddenly realized… he might not be able to defeat his own student.
Kawaki Seiyu was in the same boat. Despite engaging directly, none of his attacks managed to even graze the hem of Shin'en's clothes.
The stalemate dragged on awkwardly, with no clear victor.
"Ahem." After confirming several times that he couldn't win, Yuhi Shin'en coughed to mask his embarrassment.
"Alright, Seiyu, I've got a general understanding of your strength now. With those two special potions and your original taijutsu techniques, you could easily overwhelm most Chunin. Against a Jonin, only a surprise attack might give them trouble.
Still, Seiyu, your own strength is your greatest weapon. How much of that potion do you have left?"
Kawaki Seiyu calmly raised his hand. "Teacher Shin'en, that potion is actually a soldier pill solution I developed myself. As long as I have enough soldier pills, I can make more of it continuously.
Unlike standard soldier pills, mine don't have any adverse side effects—aside from some bloating if consumed in excess."
He paused, then added, "Which is why I propose we restructure our team's entire combat style. With this potion, we don't need to worry about running out of chakra or stamina. Whether it's high-cost jutsu or mass Shadow Clone techniques, we can use them without concern."
Shin'en stared at Seiyu, deep in thought.
Yuhi Kurenai brightened visibly. Among the team, she had the least chakra reserves.
Sarutobi Asuma practically jumped with excitement. "Wait—Seiyu, you're saying we can use that potion too?"
Seiyu smiled. "Of course. You're my precious friends and comrades. Why wouldn't I share something like this with you?"
After he spoke, Asuma was thrilled, but Kurenai's face turned bright red with embarrassment. Even Shin'en shot Seiyu a strange look.
Without further delay, Seiyu retrieved several mid-sized blue vials from his ninja pouch. He handed one each to Asuma and Kurenai, then passed the rest to Yuhi Shin'en.
He continued, "Teacher Shin'en, I've also been envisioning a new jutsu. These potions are the core component, but I don't have enough time or energy to finish it myself. I'd like to entrust its development to you."
Immediately, the three turned toward him in surprise.
After all, Kawaki Seiyu was known for creating powerful original techniques—from the signless jutsu White Lightning and Earth Rope, to the improved Body Flicker Technique, and even the Razor and Finger Gun techniques that had defeated an elite Jonin.
Yuhi Shin'en glanced down at the vials in his arms and had already begun piecing together Seiyu's intention. Still, he asked, "What kind of jutsu do you have in mind, Seiyu?"
"It's like this—when we drink the potion, the chakra it generates is excessive—so much that it begins to leak from the body. That's inefficient, so I was thinking... why not control that excess chakra?
We could form it into armor-like cloaks surrounding our bodies—something that boosts our defense and enhances our taijutsu and ninjutsu."
Just as Shin'en suspected—it was reminiscent of a Tailed Beast Cloak.
What confused him, though, was how Seiyu—who had never interacted with a Tailed Beast—could even think of such a concept.
Was this what true genius looked like?
At that moment, Yuhi Shin'en felt a sense of inferiority as a teacher. He even wondered if Seiyu had come up with this idea just to give him a sense of importance.
After all, to someone with sufficient chakra control, developing a chakra-cloak-type technique shouldn't be too difficult...
But Seiyu's reasoning was simple: he didn't have the time. Starting tomorrow, he would be studying the Dark Travel Technique, a genjutsu with an A-rank difficulty level. Even for him, mastering it would be a steep climb.
After Shin'en solemnly promised to develop the cloak technique, Seiyu left dozens of potion vials with the team.
After all, not only did Shin'en need to study the new jutsu, but Kurenai and Asuma also had to adjust to this new high-chakra combat style.
Seiyu also requested a large supply of soldier pills and asked that the whole matter be kept secret.
Shin'en and Asuma both readily agreed.
The former already regarded Seiyu as a future son-in-law—and the potion as future family treasure.
As for Asuma, he thought of it as a team secret. With his grandmother, Sarutobi Biwako, still alive, money wasn't a concern—he could get as much as he needed.
"It's starting again… I knew these guys would never stop fussing."
Seiyu sighed.
Before he even reached his front door, his Observation Haki had already locked onto someone trailing him from the shadows.
Whoever it was had already exposed themselves early in the mission.
It was undoubtedly a member of the Hyuga Clan—they had noticed him the moment he returned to the village, and surveillance was the natural next step.
Unknown Hidden Compartment Under the Bed
What the Hyuga planned to do with him remained unclear.
But one thing was certain: to them, Kawaki Seiyu had become a chronic threat. Until he was neutralized, some among the Hyuga wouldn't sleep peacefully.
Unfortunately, the feeling was mutual. Seiyu knew full well that avoiding the Hyuga's shadow wasn't an option.
Returning home, all Seiyu wanted was to lie down and relax.
But the moment he stepped into his room, he froze.
Something was off.
Someone had been inside.
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