"It's been four years… I remember Orochimaru's defection was around these past few years, and I've been missing for so long. Did Danzo really handle it so cleanly that the Third Hokage didn't even realize?"
Amane stuck out her tongue, looking at the mirror in front of her, feeling very uncomfortable.
The exact same Curse Mark as Sai's was etched on her, and Amane had confirmed that if she tried to reveal any information about Danzo or the Root Organization, her entire body would become paralyzed.
convex (艹皿艹)
Since she was three, her daily schedule had been packed. Learning, Chakra extraction, Taijutsu training, and her meals were always full of medicinal flavors, as if they were afraid you wouldn't know what they added.
And the constant brainwashing, like "missions are paramount," and "emotions are just an illusion." Amane really couldn't take it anymore.
When a sentence is repeated ten or a hundred times a day, it becomes a mental attack. If she really turned into an emotionless tool in the future, then her transmigration would be a joke.
Unfortunately, there was no way to escape now.
After a year, Amane had learned the basic Three Basic Jutsu and how to use shuriken and Kunai, but nothing else had been taught to her.
"No rush, no rush. Isn't it only the fourth year? There are still twelve years until the Fourth Great Ninja War. I must shine brightly… I'll try my best."
With Six Paths Obito, Six Paths Madara, and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, it was hard to say if someone without a system like her could even get an entry ticket, especially with only twelve years left.
She patted her delicate cheeks, quickly tied up her red hair, finished tidying, and then put on her mask. Amane began today's training.
"Good, you're very punctual now. Come with me, you'll be performing a special task today, so be mentally prepared."
With a graceful figure and a clear, beautiful voice, Amane felt that the person, though wearing a mask, must be a beauty. This person was specially chosen by Danzo to teach Amane; she was essentially her private tutor.
Her real name was unknown, only a codename: Yue.
Incidentally, Amane's current codename in the Root Organization was: Jiu.
When she first received this codename, Amane felt that Danzo wasn't even pretending anymore, aside from a slight hint of wisdom in the name.
Following Yue, they walked forward, passing through several doors until they reached an empty hall where a flash of a blade went straight for Amane's neck!
"This again?"
Since she started training, there had been occasional surprise attacks. So, facing this sudden assault, her body's instinct took a small step back, dodging the fatal blow, rather than thinking.
"It's the first time they've attacked a vital point. Is the medical level in the Ninja World that advanced?"
If she didn't know her own background, Amane would have thought Danzo was already trying to eliminate her. But then, Yue launched her next move; this time, her blade was even wrapped in Chakra.
According to her usual habit when attacked, there wouldn't be a follow-up attack after the first dodge. So, Amane hadn't created enough distance after dodging earlier, nor had she immediately counterattacked. Therefore, facing this sudden second strike, Amane clearly had no room to react!
Transformation Jutsu!
Her originally small stature transformed into a rock, once again dodging the attack.
To be able to instantly think of using Transformation Jutsu to change her body shape and dodge the attack, Yue's eyes under her mask flashed with surprise. But since you chose to turn into a rock, then be prepared to be kicked away!
Thinking this, Yue kicked out fiercely!
She fell for it!
Feeling the incredibly light sensation from the rock, Yue immediately turned around and used her blade to parry the two flying shuriken, relying on years of experience from countless life-and-death situations.
"A Substitution Jutsu? How did she do that in front of a Chunin like me?"
Yue was puzzled.
According to the original work's description, Substitution Jutsu involves replacing oneself with another object using movements faster than the opponent. For a novice, this move is arguably the least practical of the Three Basic Jutsu, but what just happened?
Yue didn't want to think about it anymore; these were just petty tricks regardless.
The most basic aspect of a battle is for both sides to be able to inflict damage on each other. Constant dodging or defending only makes the opponent fight more enjoyably.
And as it stood, this Young Lady, who had only learned the Three Basic Jutsu, had no chance of harming her.
Bang!
With a puff of white smoke, Amane held a fuma shuriken taller than herself.
"Ridiculous, you can throw…"
Before she could finish her thought, the fuma shuriken flew towards her with a terrifying momentum!
"Alright, she's from the Uzumaki Clan. But it's still a petty trick; it's a dream to hit me with such a straightforward attack. I'll use Body Flicker to close in and take her down in one go."
But just as Yue was about to channel her body's Chakra, a feeling of weakness assaulted her from within.
"You were too careless, Yue."
A figure appeared and grabbed the fuma shuriken, which, with a bang, turned into a Kunai.
"Lord Danzo…"
Yue's weak voice uttered the newcomer's name. At the same time, she subconsciously glanced behind her and saw the smoke that still hadn't dissipated.
It turned out that what she had thought was a Substitution Jutsu was still just a Transformation Jutsu, but the object transformed was a stone made from a poison bomb.
"Why didn't you use a real fuma shuriken? Was it out of caution to conserve strength, or because you couldn't bring yourself to kill someone who was trying to kill you?"
Facing Danzo's interrogation, Amane immediately knelt down, her mind quickly recalling similar scenes from movies and TV shows she had watched before.
"Replying to Lord Danzo, a single poison bomb cannot be expected to do much against a Chunin like Yue."
Although her physical fitness could indeed allow her to throw a fuma shuriken now, the technique's power was limited by her height and other factors, so its full potential couldn't be unleashed.
Amane's real goal just now was merely to use this seemingly intimidating attack to scare Yue and make her stay put for a little longer.
Danzo nodded, acknowledging Amane's explanation.
"You may leave. From today onwards, Jiu will be personally guided by me."
After giving the order, Yue obediently accepted and left. Then, Danzo pulled a scroll from his waist and threw it to Amane.
"Take it back and study it carefully. Report your progress to me here tomorrow."
He's so tight-lipped. Couldn't he at least introduce the contents of this scroll?
Amane couldn't help but complain as she watched Danzo disappear. But after returning to her residence and opening the scroll, her eyes lit up.
Shadow Clone Jutsu and basic Sealing Jutsu!
A fervent excitement and joy welled up in her mind. If she ignored the biased view of Danzo she had from watching the anime in her previous life, Amane truly wanted to say, "My foster father is supreme!"
"Now I can finally get on the right track. With the Uzumaki Clan bloodline, my aptitude shouldn't be too bad, right?"
Thinking this, Amane immediately set her sights on Shadow Clone Jutsu, which was once considered one of the strongest cheats for commoners in the Hokage World. With this Jutsu, as long as your Chakra could hold out, it was like having a multiple experience points cheat!
Quickly memorizing the key points, Amane began to try it.
A few minutes later, Amane was stunned as she looked at the ten Shadow Clones in front of her. Ten was the limit for ordinary Shadow Clones, and she hadn't expected to succeed so smoothly.
"Speaking of which, I started learning Tree Climbing and Water Walking not long after I began Chakra extraction, and there's no Kurama interference in my body. Looking at it this way, this result is normal."
"Um, hello everyone?"
Amane wanted to confirm if Shadow Clones had their own personalities.
"No good! Having to recite that idiotic Root Organization rule every day is so annoying!"
One of the Shadow Clones threw her mask aside and clenched her fists, her somewhat long red hair seemingly moving without wind.
"Exactly! Main body, when are you going to…"
Amane quickly covered the mouth of another Shadow Clone, who also seemed to realize her impulsiveness and gestured for her to let go.
"But it's probably better to be obedient for now. At least the training here is really good for improving strength. If we went out, it would be hard to survive. I imagine brother is also being controlled at this time."
This one was the steady type, and her thoughts coincided with Amane's, although the first two were also her true feelings.
"Mm-hm, it's better to be obedient for now."
"I see, this seems to be a manifestation of my inner thoughts."
From the conversation with a few Shadow Clones, Amane drew some conclusions about the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Perhaps this is related to the spiritual energy in Chakra; each of them is a certain manifestation of your spirit.
But from the recent conversation, Amane discovered a problem, so she looked at the Shadow Clone who had just mentioned going out and asked:
"Brother is being controlled?"
"Since we are all in this situation, brother's circumstances probably aren't much better. He's probably undergoing training somewhere underground."
The Shadow Clone said with a somewhat melancholic expression.
"…Could it be that they don't have the script in their minds?"
"Do you know Kurama?"
?X10
Confirmed, for now. Shadow Clones indeed don't possess the script from another world. It seems that Shadow Clones know nothing about her past life.
How could this be?
Although Amane was puzzled, she didn't understand any basic knowledge right now, so her confusion could only lead to staring blankly and daydreaming.
So, before long, there were eleven people in the small room, studying the scroll together.