Mayuri Kurotsuchi Card Game, starting from Naruto

Chapter 42 Training Ground

The clan meeting, unsurprisingly, perfectly reflected the Nara clan's lazy and averse-to-trouble nature. After learning that Shikane had awakened his bloodline limit, the clan elders and Jonin simply gave an "oh," inquired briefly, and then hastily disbanded the clan meeting.

Watching the clan elders walk out in twos and threes, hands on hips, Lu Nie remained calm and accustomed to it. He had experienced this situation twice before.

One was a shadow coffin.

One time was Shadow Puppet.

This was the case at both clan gatherings.

"Let's go." Nara Shikakichi patted Shikane on the shoulder. "Practice more combat skills these days."

"Has something happened?" Upon hearing Nara Shikakichi's request, Shikane instantly sensed something. He knew very well that Nara Shikakichi wouldn't make such a request if nothing had happened.

"I just feel like something storm is brewing." Nara Shikakichi gave a wry smile. As the class leader of the Jonin team, responsible for handling daily affairs and intelligence for the Hokage, his keen sixth sense, based on the external intelligence he had recently gathered, made him sensitive to a certain oppressive atmosphere.

"Is war about to break out?" Shino asked directly. Although he didn't know when the Third Shinobi World War started, he vaguely remembered that the trigger for the war was the disappearance of the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure.

"This is not something you should worry about." Nara Shikakichi placed his hand on Shikane's head, pondered for a moment, and added, "It's just that recently, the friction between various countries has intensified, especially since Sunagakure's actions have been somewhat unusual."

"Future conflicts may escalate. You've already become a Chunin, and sooner or later you'll have to leave the village to carry out missions and fight against ninjas from other countries."

What Nara Shikakichi didn't explicitly say was that after so many years of recuperation, most of the major powers had recovered their strength. The restraint and tacit understanding among the major powers of the ninja world had become as thin as a piece of paper that could be torn at any moment.

In terms of intelligence, this manifests as a competition for mission volume, escalating friction, and intensifying confrontation. Perhaps only a spark is needed to instantly shatter the tacit understanding and restraint among major powers.

Having survived the Fourth Shinobi World War, Nara Shikakichi knew all too well just how brutal a war of this scale could be.

The awakening of Shiro's bloodline at this moment filled him with both worry and a touch of joy. At least in the ninja world, strength was a guarantee.

Both ninjutsu and bloodline limits can be considered part of one's strength!

Nara Shikakichi was worried that Shikane was too engrossed in his research and neglecting his own strength. However, judging from the previous tests, Shikane's proficiency in secret techniques was very high, and his chakra reserves were also unexpected.

Putting aside combat experience and other factors, judging solely from his demonstrated strength, he is at least worthy of being called an outstanding Chunin.

……

Training Course.

Seeing Lu Nie training meticulously in the training field, Hong Dou, who was eating dumplings, almost bit her tongue.

"Is that a deer?" Anko turned her head in surprise to look at Uchiha Shisui, who had come to the training ground with her.

"It's him." Shisui nodded silently.

"It's not some kind of transformation prank or something?" Red Bean still couldn't believe it.

"It's him." Shisui nodded again, but this time, the Sharingan with two tomoe appeared in his eyes as he spoke.

"Lu Nie!" After confirming again, Hongdou solemnly put the dumplings in her hand into the bag and shouted.

Upon noticing the arrival of the two, Lu Nie stopped training and waved to them.

"Are you really Lu Nie? You actually came to the training ground? I remember you haven't done any missions or training with us in a long time, right?"

"Why did you come to the training ground today?" Red Bean stepped forward and poked Lu Nie hard with her finger, as if trying to find out if it was a shadow clone or something.

"Let's get started with the training." Lu Nie looked at Shisui behind Hongdou.

Seemingly annoyed by Hongdou's words, a black finger emerged from Lu Nie's shadow and grasped Hongdou's finger.

"Huh?" Hongdou, who was being held by the black shadow as if she were being held tightly by a real entity, immediately let out a surprised and uncertain "huh".

"Is this also a shadow technique? Why don't you need to form hand seals?" Red Bean let her fingers be held by the black shadow, the touch was as solid as a physical object, and looked up at Lu Nie with curiosity.

So far, all the ninjutsu Anko knows require hand seals to activate. Those with high proficiency can quickly follow the steps to perform the seals, and clever, highly skilled individuals can even simplify the seal steps for a particular ninjutsu, but regardless, hand seals are always necessary.

The only ninjutsu that Anko knows of that can be activated without hand seals is the bloodline limit.

"Your chakra?"

Compared to Anko, Shisui, who had awakened his Sharingan, saw much more. His eyes and senses were able to discern changes in Shikane's chakra.

Unlike the chakra of the deer he was familiar with before, this was a power that felt familiar to him.

"I just completed a technique," Shisui replied. Shisui and Anko would find out about his bloodline limit sooner or later, so there was no need for him to say it immediately.

"You've finally finished that technique?"

Both Anko and Shisui knew that Shinobu was creating another secret technique, and even went to learn related sealing techniques from Minato Namikaze.

As a result, Shisui and Anko also received some guidance during the Chunin Exams.

Influenced by Shinobu, Shisui and Anko also wanted to create their own unique ninjutsu early on.

"It's done." Lu Nie pointed to the shadow at his feet.

"Huh? It's alive?" Hongdou's gaze shifted downwards, and she exclaimed "Huh" again, because she suddenly noticed that the shadow that seemed to have noticed her gaze had shrunk down as if shy, crowding into a black mass at Lu Nie's feet.

Shisui's gaze turned serious as he stared at the shadow. Upon seeing the shadow, Shisui suddenly understood where the strange feeling he had sensed earlier came from.

It came from the living, shadowy figure beneath Lu Nie's feet.

"Want to have a little sparring?" Lu Nie squatted down beside him, poking at the red bean his shadow was playing with at his feet, and invited Shi Shui.

Shisui was taken aback for a moment, but then smiled and said cheerfully, "Of course! We haven't sparred yet, have we?"

Hongdou looked up at the two of them in surprise, and asked Lu Nie with some confusion, "You want to challenge Shisui?"

In Anko's opinion, Shisui, who possesses two tomoe, is the strongest offensive player in the team besides Orochimaru. She is a role that seeks opportunities and plays a certain defensive role. As for Shika, she mainly serves as a support and healer.

So it was always Hongdou who accompanied Lu Nie. She just felt that Lu Nie was acting strangely today.

(End of this chapter)