Konoha: You're letting me build up my bonds, but you're offending the entire ninja world.

"A real man should defeat his enemy honorably."

"Could you change out of that... uh, training outfit you're wearing?"

"No way! This is a symbol of my youth!"

Snapped!

Xuan Yue clapped her hands, and the little bear spread his hands, "Look, you don't meet the main conditions of the root, how can we let you join?"

"So that's how it is..." Kai started crying again. "As expected, Kakashi truly deserves to be my lifelong rival. He's managed to achieve so many goals that I can't reach. We'll continue with extra training tomorrow!"

Xuan Yue:......

He originally wanted to have more contact with Kai because he saw that Kai's bond was so easy to farm.

Thinking about it now, I'd better give up. I really can't mess with these rare beasts; I'm afraid I'll get infected too.

Hong gave an embarrassed wry smile, covered her mouth, and whispered to the two of them, "That's just how Kai is. You'll get used to it. But he's a very nice person."

Xi Yan subtly took two steps back and nodded gently.

"Xuan Yue!"

Just then, Hyuga Hizashi's voice came from behind. The group turned around and saw Hyuga Hizashi walking over with a middle-aged man with a high ponytail and a scarred face.

"Let me introduce you. This is the frontline commander, Hakuun Hayato Jonin."

"These are my teammates: Shimura Gengetsu, Uzuki Yugao, and Yuhi Kurenai."

"Master Zaojian." Hong and Xiyan quickly greeted him. Shimura Gengetsu didn't have the habit of calling others "Master," only "Young Master," so he simply nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

[The host and Baiyun established a bond of mutual appreciation this morning, rewarding the host with [Wind Attribute Nature Change (Mastery)]

Cherish talent?

Xuan Yue looked at Bai Yunzaojian with a puzzled expression. Sensing his gaze, Bai Yunzaojian smiled amicably.

"Hello, I heard from Jonin Hizashi about your performance in the battle. You did a great job. This mission will be upgraded to A, and the village will provide the corresponding compensation."

"It's getting late today, so you can rest here for the day and set off back tomorrow."

"Also..." Bai Yunzao paused here and looked at Might Guy.

"Kai, tomorrow you take my letter and go back with the Jonin Hizashi."

"Yes!" Kai immediately replied loudly, "I'll be back as fast as I can!"

"Need not."

Bai Yun smiled and waved his hand in the morning, "The intensity of the battle has decreased, and the front line doesn't need so many people. After you go back, Lord Hokage will arrange a new mission for you."

"Ok."

Kai was a little frustrated, but the thought of soon seeing his best friend and rival Kakashi and being able to spar with him again cheered him up a lot.

late at night.

Shimura Gengetsu lay in the tent, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.

He was mentally reviewing his recent battle with Ishigaki.

Ishigaki and Shigetsuchi only needed to die, but he had much more to consider.

Every Jonin is no ordinary person. The reason why he was killed by Hyuga in one strike was because Hyuga Hizashi sealed some of his chakra points, which hindered his chakra flow.

Otherwise, it would definitely not be that easy.

Needless to say, Ishigaki was completely encased in a turtle shell. If he hadn't used his Lightning Release to force Ishigaki out, the two would have remained locked in a stalemate for a while longer.

In short, after the battle, Shimura Gengetsu discovered many problems with himself.

Although his nature is highly adaptable, it has not yet reached the level of overwhelming force and cannot achieve instant kill.

This is partly due to the fact that the level of ninjutsu is too low.

Although ninjutsu level only represents the difficulty of learning ninjutsu, it is not related to the power of ninjutsu.

But the problem is... for the Five Elements Escape Technique, isn't the difficulty in learning precisely the increased power? Otherwise, why would anyone bother learning it?

The highest-level ninjutsu that Shimura Gengetsu currently possesses is the S-rank Water Release: Hard Water Blade, developed by Senju Tobirama. All the others are at most A-rank ninjutsu.

Even S-rank ninjutsu is subject to the limitations of elemental weaknesses.

In a battle like the one against Ishigaki, using the Hard Vortex Water Blade wouldn't be very effective and would only expose one's trump card.

It's incredibly difficult for ordinary ninjas to raise their combat power ceiling. They either have to rely on time to improve or use secret techniques to drastically enhance their strength in a particular area, like Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique.

The most direct methods are mutation (Kaleidoscope) and cheating (Sage Mode).

Neither of these two methods offered any hope for Gengetsu Shimura in the short term, so the only option was... to try fusing esoteric techniques and mastering his bloodline limit.

"Go back and ask Yecang how exactly he trained in the Scorching Release technique."

Gengetsu Shimura pondered to himself.

Scorching Release is a fusion of wind and fire chakra, which happens to be the two attributes he uses most skillfully and with the highest talent.

In the past six months, his relationship with Yekura has improved a lot. They have achieved the second stage of their bond, so having her teach him shouldn't be a problem.

Furthermore, swordsmanship training should not be neglected. When killing with a sword, it is still faster than ninjutsu when targeting a single individual.

Just as Shimura Gengetsu was planning his training for the next period of time, he heard a rustling sound outside the tent. He immediately placed his finger on the ground and, after sensing the familiar chakra, was somewhat puzzled.

Soon, the faint sounds of mosquitoes and flies could be heard outside the tent.

"Xuan Yue, are you asleep?"

"No, come in, Xiyan."

It was Uzuki Yugao outside. The tent was opened a crack, and Uzuki Yugao slipped in. The girl sat on the edge of the mattress and whispered:

"I knew you wouldn't be able to sleep this early, so I came to check on you."

"Is there something you need?" Shimura Gengetsu sat up and asked curiously.

"It's nothing." Uzuki Yugao shook her head. "I'm just curious about the sword technique you used at the end of the battle. I've never heard of it before. Did you create it yourself?"

She had actually wanted to ask this for a while, but everyone was on edge while traveling, so it wasn't the right time to talk about such unrelated topics.

"You mean Flash and Severance of Thoughts?" Xuan Yue suddenly realized, patting the mattress beside her. "Come and talk about it."

Without hesitation, Uzuki Yugao crawled into the blankets and came to his side. Shimura Gengetsu lay down again, twisting comfortably, and said, "These two moves are indeed sword techniques that I developed. Setsuna Kei corresponds to the Ichika-zan (draw sword slash), and there are other series, but I've only been researching them for a short time and haven't perfected them yet."

"It's already this strong even before it's perfected?" Uzuki Yugao was astonished. She still vividly remembered that flash of blue sword light; it was simply irresistible.

"Even if I'm a genius, it's impossible for me to master an S-rank sword technique in three months." Shimura Gengetsu rolled his eyes, but Yugao didn't see it in the darkness.

"A whole set, all S-rank sword techniques?" Uzuki Yugao was even more surprised. In the Konoha-ryu sword techniques, only the Crescent Moon Dance was an A-rank technique. She had heard that there was another technique called Konoha-ryu.

Liu is also an A, but Uzuki Yugao has never seen her before.

But what Xuan Yue just said was a complete set of rules...

"To be precise, it's a series," Shimura Gengetsu explained. "All the sword moves in Setsuna Kei correspond to the draw-slash."

Is there any difference between a "draw sword slash" and a "sword draw slash"?

"Of course, Flash is about pursuing ultimate speed, using speed and wind-style chakra to bring unparalleled cutting power; Severing Thoughts is about affecting the enemy's mind through changes in rhythm, thereby interfering with their judgment; and then there's the charged slash that overwhelms with momentum..."

Smelling the faint fragrance emanating from the purple-haired girl, Shimura Gengetsu felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

The voice trailed off, replaced by even breathing.

As Uzuki Yugao listened intently, she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder and realized that Gengetsu had fallen asleep. She couldn't help but smile softly.

She originally wanted to go back to her own tent, but she was afraid that getting up would disturb Xuan Yue.

Ninjas typically sleep very lightly when they are outdoors, for fear of encountering unexpected situations.

I can only lie here motionless.

Perhaps it was because the blankets were too warm, but before long, Uzuki Yugao also became sleepy and fell asleep without realizing it.

In the early morning, Shimura Gengetsu woke up and felt something soft beside him, as if he were hugging some kind of cotton. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Uzuki Yugao was sleeping soundly.

I couldn't help but sigh.

This Yugao brand cute girl body pillow is so much more comfortable than the ones I have at home!

Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Morning Gift from the White Clouds, Danzo's Hunting Plan

Inside Konoha Village.

On the top floor of the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was holding a battle report sent from the front lines of the Land of Earth, without uttering a word.

boom--!

Just as he finished smoking his pipe and took his last puff, the door was violently pushed open.

Danzo strode in aggressively, completely unlike his usual slow and deliberate demeanor.

At this moment, Danzo was like an angry old lion, his ever-present cane had disappeared, and he strode over to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not surprised by his arrival; he had been mentally prepared after receiving the intelligence.

He even felt that Danzo arrived much later than he had expected.