In the Land of Rivers, capturing a low-level summoning beast like a water bat didn't pose a great challenge. However, the simple act of acquiring a summoning scroll, an item that clan ninja took for granted, almost became an insurmountable obstacle for him.
Fortunately, after countless missions, he had accumulated a considerable amount of merit points. He spent most of the points he had painstakingly saved to exchange for a basic summoning scroll and a book titled "On the Care and Cultivation of Summoning Beasts."
As expected of a scroll that could be inherited, its price was exorbitant. And this was just a basic scroll supplied to Konoha by the Uzumaki clan, only capable of establishing contracts with genin-level ninja beasts. If he had aimed for anything of a higher level, he would have been completely broke. At least the care manual was a free gift with purchase.
But you get what you pay for. The Uzumaki's products were reliable, and the contract with the water bat went smoothly.
Thanks to continuous training with his new partner and a methodical analysis and reconstruction of his own Transformation Jutsu, he understood the true difficulty of what he was attempting. With his already magnificent transformation skills and borrowing ideas from Ryo's animal mimicry jutsu, it took him several months of hard work.
Only then, after all that effort, did he achieve a partial transformation that allowed him to borrow the bat's chakra and, with it, its ultrasonic echolocation ability.
Subsequently, thanks to this new sensory capability, he and his three genin managed to survive on the brink of death on multiple occasions. Since developing this technique, the team had not suffered a single casualty. Not even a serious injury.
With frequent use of the echolocation, he constantly applied the scientific principles of sonar he remembered from his previous life to deconstruct the bat's ability. He worked tirelessly, using his own chakra to simulate the beast's organs and replicate its ultrasonic vibration frequency. He reversed the principle.
Hard work pays off.
After tens of thousands of attempts and analyses, he finally succeeded. He managed to reverse-deduce the process and, without the help of his summoned beast, was able to use the special nature of his chakra to simulate the bat's ultrasonic echolocation. Although its range was less than a hundred meters, much shorter than the three kilometers he achieved with the bat's help, the accomplishment was astounding.
This was almost equivalent to having created a completely new ninjutsu. And not just any, but an extremely rare sensory ninjutsu. Considering the characteristics of sonar radar, its potential didn't have to be inferior to the legendary super-sensory technique of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
He had to sigh at the magic of fate. At first, he found it difficult to obtain even a C-rank ninjutsu, and now, accidentally, he had created one with almost infinite potential. All without systematic training, based solely on his passionate spirit of scientific exploration. Through this process, he fully understood the magical properties of chakra and the Sage of Six Paths' original intention: to use it as a spiritual bond. Chakra concealed connectivity, transmission, inheritance, and even the ability to materialize one's will.
That materialization ability reminded him of the Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan, capable of visualizing all sorts of obsessions. Its potential for assimilation and learning evoked the Sharingan's super-copy ability. Even the Inuzuka clan's incredible sense of smell was likely related to this; they surely learned it from their ninja hounds thanks to these properties of chakra.
"Captain, at least one full squad of Sand puppeteers has arrived."
At that moment, Ryo's voice brought him back to the present. He had obtained more specific information, and his face reflected the tension of facing a great enemy. After giving the report, he couldn't help but glance at Chōmi. It seemed the Will of Fire in his heart was beginning to waver.
"Ryo, aren't you scared?" asked Tekudō, whose own unease was palpable, though he tried to remain firm. Then, he began to flatter his captain, "Surely a squad of puppeteers can't be a problem with you in command, my dear captain?"
Tekudō looked at Sasuke with a shamelessly flattering expression.
"Alright, you all continue patrolling the defense zone. I'll go provide support alone."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. He knew the tricks of his veteran subordinate all too well. 'This time it's not that I don't want to bring you along to earn easy merits, it's that you're useless for this situation.'
"Captain, how can you say that!" Ryo immediately protested. With the glory of the ninja clan in his mind, the Will of Fire overrode his fear. They had to go together, no matter what.
Although Tekudō had his reservations, he was also a loyal man. He couldn't let his captain take risks alone. Chōmi, seeing that Tekudō insisted on going, raised no objection.
Sasuke nodded, feeling relieved. 'I've trained you for half a year, and at least you're not ungrateful. Since you're all so eager, I'll help you make a small fortune this time.'
"Let's go!" Sasuke exclaimed. To achieve maximum speed, he adopted the classic ninja running posture: body leaning forward about thirty degrees, arms stretched back. It might seem unergonomic, but by applying chakra to the feet, it was the most explosive and scientifically efficient way to run, reducing air resistance and facilitating the use of tools.
In just four or five seconds, they had already covered nearly a hundred meters.
"Captain, the direction of our support is a bit off, isn't it?" Ryo asked, noticing they were veering from the course of the battle.
However, Tekudō, running right behind, couldn't help but let his eyes light up, as if he had deciphered a great mystery.
'So that's it,' he thought. "I was wondering why the captain was so proactive this time, not fearing an entire team of puppeteers. Turns out this is 'strategic support.' Going to the base to call for reinforcements... that's a form of support too!"
Sasuke didn't know what Tekudō was thinking, but he had no time for his antics. As they ran, he took the opportunity to impart some of his experience.
"The key to warfare is intelligence and tactics. A lion uses its full strength even to hunt a rabbit. Leveraging information asymmetry to take the enemy by surprise is the best strategy. This is a lesson written in blood. Unless your strength is overwhelmingly superior, frontal assaults are for fools."
"Captain, are you planning to set an ambush on the Sand ninjas' path of advance?" Ryo suddenly understood. The captain's tactical logic illuminated him, and he felt he had learned a valuable lesson.
Supporting the Aoba Squad directly now would be pointless, a senseless sacrifice. But if they prepared an ambush in advance, catching them off guard, not only could they halt their advance, but they might even have a chance to annihilate them. As a member of the Inuzuka clan, Ryo knew the value of intelligence and traps. With a well-prepared ambush, their chances of success were high. Besides, they were in their own territory; if they held out for a few minutes, the mobile patrol would arrive.
"As expected of the captain, your combat experience is incredible!" Ryo exclaimed, his eyes filled with renewed admiration.
Hearing the plan, even Tekudō, the master of hiding, felt more confident. He had already started calculating how many merit points he could get and whether he would use them to exchange for a new ninjutsu or to get more exploding tag "wives."