Naruto: All My Targets Are Ninjutsu

Chapter 178 Danzo's Thoughts, "The World's Greatest Swordsmanship" Progress +1 (Two-in-One)

After watching the other person leave, Obito breathed a sigh of relief, then said indignantly, "I thought it was a comrade, but it turns out it was a traitor—how despicable! Even at a time like this, someone still betrays the village's information? A truly heinous crime! He deserves to be eliminated by the Anbu!"

Mikami Yu glanced at Obito and said calmly, "You believe everything they say?"

"what?"

Obito was taken aback, then scratched his head. "Aren't those two masked guys direct subordinates of the Third Hokage's Anbu? They shouldn't be talking nonsense about something like this, right? Besides, that traitor did attack us just now. If it weren't for Yu's intervention, both that person and I might have been injured—"

"Seeing is not always believing, let alone hearing. You don't even know the name of that 'traitor,' and you only heard one side of the story from a few strangers, yet you know what he did?"

Mikami paused for a moment, then added, "Also, those two weren't from the Anbu, they were from Root."

"root?"

Obito looked bewildered: "What's that?"

Mikami Yu thought that explaining this matter clearly would be a bit troublesome, so he only briefly mentioned the existence of "Hokage's assistant," and then raised his hand to use a Water Ripple to extinguish the bushes that had been ignited by the Great Fireball: "Anyway, in the future, when you encounter something like this, it's best not to make rash comments, but to think more."

This was a subtle reminder to Obito.

After all, from God's perspective, Yu Mikami knew that Obito would definitely be set up by Madara Uchiha in the future, but the timing and form were uncertain.

Yu Mikami didn't dare to openly reveal Madara's existence, since he currently lacked the ability to confront Madara, and speaking carelessly would only bring trouble upon himself. He wasn't entirely certain whether he could stop Madara's actions either, and could only advise Obito to be cautious and not be easily manipulated.

As for whether it's useful or not —

Do your best and leave the rest to fate. It's always better to say something than to say nothing.

Obito scratched his head, nodded as if he understood, and said, "Oh—I understand."

Beside her, Nohara Rin looked thoughtfully at Mikami Yu, vaguely sensing that things might not be so simple, but she didn't ask any further questions.

The encounter with the roots was just a minor episode.

After lunch, the three rested for a while before resuming training.

Rin Nohara sparred with Obito for a while as promised.

Logically speaking, Obito's strength should definitely be greater than Rin's, and by a considerable margin. However, Obito was clearly hesitant to go all out against Rin, and his movements were restrained during the sparring session. In addition, the water style was effective against the fire style, and after a few minutes, he was almost knocked away by Rin's powerful punch.

Seeing this, Mikami Yu had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and practice with Obito for a while.

This time, Obito finally showed his true strength. His Fire Release technique had indeed improved a lot since the previous exam. He even learned to use his Sharingan to replicate Mikami Yu's movements and exchange blows with him using his mirror image. He seemed to have the air of a "copy ninja" like Kakashi from the original timeline.

However, while ninjutsu can be copied, the rhythm of battle is not so easy to replicate. Therefore, Mikami Yu did not have to exert much effort to defeat Obito.

"Ah! Just a little bit more!"

"But it's okay, I feel the gap between me and You is already narrowing. I learned a lot just now, which I'll definitely be able to use next time!"

Obito shouted unwillingly.

Mikami Yu remained noncommittal.

The three practiced for a while longer, and as the sky gradually darkened, Mikami Yu began to pack up his things: "Let's call it a day. The sun is about to set. Let's go eat Ichiraku Ramen together later. It's on me."

"Really? Yay!"

Seeing Obito's excited expression, Nohara Rin rolled her eyes at him: "Obito, Yu was promoted to Special Jonin, and you didn't even give him a gift. You even made Yu treat you. That's really not right."

"what?"

Obito scratched his head: "Sorry, sorry, I completely forgot about that—don't worry, Yu, I'll prepare a gift for you, and it will definitely surprise you!"

"..." Mikami Yu glanced at Obito and Rin, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

He was genuinely a little afraid that Obito would gouge out one of his Sharingan eyes on the spot and give it to him as a gift; that image was a bit too horrifying. However, considering that there was still quite some time before the Kannabi Bridge battle, the possibility of Obito suddenly dying and giving away his eye was unlikely; he figured it was more likely that he would be given some ninja tools or something.

"Since things have come to this, let's eat first."

"I have other classes to attend later, so let's hurry up."

Yu Mikami greeted everyone and took the lead, already planning his evening's activities.

The sealing technique scrolls borrowed from Minato Namikaze and Kushina, as well as the medical scrolls given by Tsunade, all require time to study. While the hidden system can provide some shortcuts, it's not advisable to completely slack off; there's still a lot to do before leaving the village again—

At the same time.

Somewhere underground on the west side of Konoha, within the root base.

The air felt somewhat heavy.

Having just finished listening to the report, Shimura Danzo sat on a cold stone chair. His face, which had been covered by bandages for half a year, appeared somewhat unpredictable in the flickering candlelight.

"Yu Mikami—it's him again."

"It's astonishing how much he's grown since graduating from the Ninja Academy just over a year ago—"

To be honest, Danzo Shimura regrets it now.

He had known the name Mikami Yu for quite some time and had even tried to recruit him, but Orochimaru interfered, forcing him to stop. But—how did that kid named Mikami Yu jump directly from genin to special jonin?

Even the universally acknowledged genius Kakashi is still only a Chunin!

If he had known earlier that the other party was so talented, even if he had broken up with Orochimaru, he would have definitely taken this seedling under his wing and personally nurtured it into a towering tree that could carry out his own will!

Orochimaru ruined me!

At this moment, Shimura Danzo had completely forgotten that Orochimaru had once selected two promising orphans for him as a condition for exchanging Mikami Yu. He was only filled with regret for missing out on a good prospect who could have served him like a slave. This was worse than death for him.

Fortunately————

It's not too late yet.

"Have you confirmed the movements of Sunagakure and Kumogakure?"

Danzo Shimura asked the question.

The subordinate kneeling below immediately responded: "Reporting to Lord Danzo, according to the latest secret report from Nonou, the Kumogakure AB brothers have secretly left the village and arrived in the Land of Hot Springs; Sunagakure has also seemingly reached a secret agreement with Iwagakure, withdrawing elite puppet troops from the eastern border to assemble in the Land of Rivers—"

"The next large-scale offensive is expected to erupt within one or two weeks!"

"----very good."

Under the dim light, Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice cold: "War is a calamity, but also a ladder to advancement. That child named Mikami Yu, as a newly promoted Special Jonin and Minato Namikaze's prized disciple, will inevitably be given important responsibilities once a new war breaks out. At that time—"

"Perhaps this is the opportunity to make contact with him and bring him into the roots. A genius like him can only reach his full potential at the roots."

"Yes, I understand. We will closely monitor its movements and await your instructions."

"Go down."

Following Danzo's command, the subordinates' figures, like ghosts disappearing into the shadows, retreated silently.

In the vast Root headquarters hall, only Danzo remained, continuing to peruse intelligence reports from all over the ninja world. The flickering lamplight cast a long shadow of him, making him resemble an old jackal lurking in the abyss, ready to devour its prey.

for a long time.

Danzo paused, then picked out one of the intelligence reports and placed it aside: "Land of Rain, Akatsuki —"

Hmph, another potential threat. We should find an opportunity to wipe them all out.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning.

-

A secluded training ground on the east side of Konoha Village, an open space surrounded by trees.

Two figures moved swiftly and agilely, their blades flashing like snow, their movements intertwining and colliding to create a crisp, rapid clang of metal against metal, sparks flying everywhere.

Beside her, Kurenai sat on a flat wooden stake, her hands clasped tightly to her chest, her ruby-like eyes fixed intently on the two people fighting fiercely in the arena, so tense that she almost forgot to breathe.

That's right.

Today's battle is between Mikami Yu and Yuhi Shinku.

Because it was a private duel, the two didn't make a big fuss, only bringing along their sole spectator, Kurenai Yuhi.

In the latter's eyes, he only saw his father's ninja sword dancing like the wind, agile and continuous; while Mikami Yu's swordsmanship was sharp and fierce, smooth and natural, and when paired with his flowing white hair, handsome face, and tall and strong figure, it was indescribably pleasing to the eye.

It looks like————

It turned out that Kurenai Yuhi was at a disadvantage!

That's right.

To be fair, Kurenai Yuhi's swordsmanship is indeed quite good, and she can be called a master. However, her main skill is illusion, and swordsmanship is only a secondary skill. Now, with the premise of "sword duel", facing Yu Mikami's [Heart Blade Domain], it is not certain that she will lose, but her chance of winning is indeed difficult to exceed 30%.

finally----

Despite being suppressed, Kurenai Yuhi's eyes flashed as she caught a glimpse of Yu Mikami after a sword duel, when his old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated. Without hesitation, she unleashed the killing move "Ichiyanagi" from the Konoha-ryu swordsmanship! In an instant, a cold light that tore through the air slashed through the air, aiming straight for Yu Mikami's vital chest and abdomen!

At the same time.

Mikami Yu spun around, as if anticipating it, narrowly avoiding the tip of Yuhi Shinku's blade. Then, in a series of twists and turns, he suddenly unleashed the power of his waist and abdomen, his entire body like a spring compressed to its limit, swinging out a sword—

That was a faster and more ruthless strike than Yuhi Shinku's. Because of its speed, the short sword transformed into a fleeting silver light halfway through its journey, like a silver lightning bolt, slashing towards Yuhi Shinku's vital spot with overwhelming force!

laugh!

A soft sound, like a hot knife slicing through butter.

Yuhi Shinku remained frozen in place, still in the thrusting motion, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable. A second or two later, there was a "crash" sound, and the ninja sword in his hand shattered in the middle, half of the blade falling from mid-air and embedding itself in the soft soil.

opposite.

Yu Mikami held the sword horizontally, his expression calm and serene, as if he had only done something insignificant.

The room was deathly silent. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the wind and the two people's uneven breathing.

"—Good lad."

Yuhi Shinku slowly lowered his arm, looking at the ninja sword that was now only half intact, and shook his head with a bitter expression. Although he had anticipated this situation, he still hadn't expected to be defeated so cleanly and decisively by a junior.

He didn't even see how the final strike was delivered; he only felt a cold silver line flash past, like—

"To be able to push me to this point, your skill level must be around 60-70% of what Bai Ya is capable of."

C

"Senior Shinku, you flatter me."

With a flick of his wrist, Mikami Yu silently sheathed his short sword, then said humbly, "Senior's swordsmanship is indeed superb. If I hadn't held back a bit at the end, I might not have been able to dodge it. My victory in the end was purely by chance."

Yuhi Makoto's lips twitched, momentarily speechless: "Alright, there's no one else here, so don't try to comfort me with those kinds of words. It's not like I haven't lost before; I don't need a junior like you to comfort me—"

"But what exactly happened just now? I feel like you completely saw through my intentions?"

""

"this----

'

Mikami Yu pondered for a moment: "Have you heard of the 'preemptive strike' in swordsmanship? It's about sensing the opponent's attack intention before they even attack, and thus reacting in advance—I once accidentally grasped this technique and incorporated it into my swordsmanship, so—"

That's not entirely nonsense.

Yu Mikami had read the swordsmanship books of this world and knew that this concept had indeed been proposed. However, apart from the Uchiha clan, who possessed the Sharingan and astonishing dynamic vision, it was difficult for others to put these concepts into practice. The [Heart Blade Domain], however, was the perfect embodiment of this concept.

However, this is something that can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words.

Therefore, Yu Mikami was unable to explain in detail to Shinku Yuhi.

present.

He focused his attention on the lacustrine system:

【叮！旗木刀术好感度+4，当前好感度：64/100。特殊事件「天下第一的刀术」进度：1/8（已击败：木叶流剑术）】

Hmm—the favorability rating for "Hatake Sword Technique" has also reached over 60.

After sparring with the Uchiha clan a few more times and defeating the "Uchiha-style swordsmanship," I estimate I can unlock the third stage trait with 75 favorability points.

Honestly—

Yu Mikami was a little curious about the characteristics of the fourth stage of "Hatake Sword Technique".

Based on past experience, most ninjutsu undergoes a qualitative change after reaching maximum affinity. If the characteristics of "Hatake Sword Technique" are limited to the "Heart Blade Domain", even if the range is increased, it is difficult to call it "the best sword technique in the world".

After all, that old Uchiha could split a mountain in two with Susanoo.

If that thing counts as "swordsmanship"—then "Hatake Sword Technique" is still a long way from being number one.

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