Naruto: All My Targets Are Ninjutsu.

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.

Kurenai Yuhi remained frozen in place, still in the thrusting motion, as if witnessing something unbelievable. A second or two later, a "crash" was heard, 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 White Teeth's."

"Senior Shinku, you flatter me."

With a flick of his wrist, Mikami Yu quietly 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 one……"

Mikami Yu pondered for a moment: "Have you heard of the 'first 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 corner 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" is also above 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 significantly, 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 Swordsmanship" is still a long way from being number one.

Chapter 178 Jonin Team Gathering, Sand Cloud Movement

At this time.

Kurenai Yuhi, who had been watching from the sidelines for a while, stood up and quickly ran over to them. Her red eyes were full of concern. She first looked at Yu Mikami: "Yu, are you alright? That last bit really startled me!"

As she spoke, Kurenai seemed to want to wipe Yu's sweat, but just as she raised her hand, she heard Kurenai cough beside her. She quickly withdrew her fair hand, then turned her head, stuck out her tongue, and blushed slightly.

"Um... Dad, how are you?"

"...It's alright, I won't die anytime soon."

"I'm annoyed," said Kurenai Yuhi.

He had by now gotten used to, and even understood, his daughter's "favoritism" in her reaction.

no way.

The white-haired boy in front of them was indeed a genius to an almost superhuman degree. Whether it was swordsmanship or ninjutsu, he stood out among the new generation of ninjas. He was clearly a rising star who had the potential to become Hokage.

If he were still a genin back then, and saw such an outstanding woman by his side, he would probably be confused too... Wait a minute, isn't this talking about Tsunade?

However, Tsunade in her youth wasn't as outstanding as Mikami Yu. Leaving aside strength, young Tsunade was practically a washboard; while her face was pretty, her overall physique wasn't as good as the current Mikami Yu…

present.

Yuhi Makoto lost interest in continuing her discussion with Mikami Yu about the "first of the first" issue. Instead, she picked up the broken blade, called to her daughter, and prepared to go home.

Hong was still a little reluctant to leave.

Just as Mikami Yuya slung his short sword over his shoulder, preparing to leave with Yuhi and his daughter,

A sudden surge of chakra appeared, and then a figure wearing an animal mask silently appeared under the shadow of a tree at the edge of the training ground. Dressed in ANBU attire, he looked travel-worn.

"Jonin Kurenai Yuhi, summoned by the Third Hokage, please proceed to the Hokage Building immediately to convene a meeting of the Jonin Team."

"Ok?"

Kurenai Yuhi frowned slightly: "Now?"

"Yes."

The ANBU gave a succinct reply and then quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

After watching his figure disappear, Kurenai looked at her father nervously: "Dad?"

"...You go back first, Hong."

Yuhi Makoto said in a deep voice, "An emergency summons at this time must mean there are important things to discuss, which are likely related to intelligence from the front lines. I probably won't be going home for dinner today... By the way, Mikami Yu, do you want to come and listen in?"

"I?"

"Special Jonin are theoretically also qualified to attend as observers. It won't hurt you to learn about things at the Jonin level in advance."

"..."

Hearing what Kurenai Yuhi said, Yu Mikami pondered for a moment.

To be honest, he didn't really want to go.

After all, large meetings are usually mostly useless; truly important matters are usually decided in small meetings with just a few people, so there's no need to make a big fuss about it.

However, since Kurenai Yuhi had specifically brought it up, adopting a "mentoring" stance, Yu Mikami couldn't very well ignore it. Besides, he didn't know many of the Konoha Jonin at this time, so it wouldn't hurt to become acquainted with them and perhaps later try to "learn a thing or two" from those skilled in swordsmanship.

then,

Yu Mikami nodded: "Alright, then I'll trouble you to lead the way, Shinku-senpai."

"Then come with me."

Kurenai Yuhi turned to her daughter and gave her some instructions, then quickly left the training ground with Yu Mikami and headed towards the Hokage Building.

……

Fifteen minutes later.

The large conference room on the first floor of the Hokage Building was already packed with people.

During this period, Konoha had a considerable number of Jonin, with about two hundred openly. If you included the private armies of various ninja clans and the Anbu who couldn't easily reveal their identities, the total number could be around three or four hundred.

However, many of these people are already stationed on the borders of various places or are unable to leave due to their duties in the village. Therefore, there are only a few dozen people sitting in this conference room now, with about half of them being ninja clan members and half being commoners.

Minato Namikaze was, of course, present.

As an elite Jonin in Konoha Village, second only to the Sannin in strength and status, he was positioned relatively close to the front, his signature blond hair standing out prominently. He was talking to a Nara clansman next to him who had a pineapple-shaped hairstyle and looked to be in his forties.

Looking further ahead, there are also Uchiha Fugaku, Aburame Shiguro, Akimichi Choza, and many more Jonin faces that Mikami Yu has never seen before.

When they saw Mikami Yu and Yuhi Shinku enter together, Minato Namikaze and others who knew him showed some surprise. Then, the former immediately stood up to greet them and gestured for them to sit down.

Kurenai Yuhi is considered a veteran among Konoha's Jonin, and she also serves as an instructor for Chunin and Genin, so it's reasonable for her to be sitting here. Only Yu Mikami, who only holds the title of Special Jonin, is receiving curious or scrutinizing glances from those around him.

"Minato, what happened?"

As soon as Shinku sat down, she couldn't wait to ask in a low voice.

"It seems there's a problem on the northern border, and the Sand Village, which we were previously grappling with, has also shown signs of activity again..."

Minato Namikaze also lowered his voice and responded quietly.

Yu Mikami overheard this and, though he didn't say anything, he had already vaguely guessed what was going on—it seemed that the Cloud Village had begun to take action.

The original storyline did not specify the exact timeline of the Third Shinobi World War, but the general outline was still clear.

This war began with the disappearance of the Third Kazekage and lasted for several years. Konoha mainly fought against Sunagakure in the first half, which ended with the Battle of Kikyo Mountain; the second half mainly involved Iwagakure and Kirigakure. Kumogakure, on the other hand, fought intermittently until after Hinata's birth, when a formal peace treaty was signed.

Back in Wildfire Castle, Konoha had already learned from Pakura that Sunagakure and Kumogakure seemed to be colluding.

Now it seems...

It's time to start taking action.

soon.

The meeting room door was opened.

Wearing the Hokage robe and a straw hat, Hiruzen Sarutobi strode in, followed by advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. All three wore serious expressions, as if they had just reached some kind of consensus, their sharp gazes sweeping across the room.

"It seems that most of the people have arrived, so I'll get straight to the point."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The village has just received a high-level warning from the border and the Anbu. There is evidence that Sunagakure and Kumogakure have reached some kind of secret agreement and may launch a pincer attack on the Land of Fire in the near future!"

Chapter 179: The Arrangement of a Two-Front Operation, and the New Characteristics of Turbulent Water Waves: Ever-Changing Manifolds! (Three-in-One)

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, a collective gasp filled the conference room.

Cloud Village and Sand Village are not the same.

The latter is located in a place with sandstorms, harsh environment, and limited resources. Although it is called an elite system, the ninjas it trains are basically half a level lower than the ninjas of the same level in Konoha. Therefore, most Konoha people do not take them too seriously.

Take this time for example,

Despite the fierce fighting in the southwestern battlefield over the past six months, Konoha has only deployed less than a third of its regular military force. Moreover, after winning two important battles, Konoha sent several batches of Chunin to train their troops and gain experience from the Sand Village forces.

In the two previous Shinobi World Wars, Sunagakure was the fastest to lose, mainly because of its weak and playful nature.

but……

The Hidden Clouds are different.

Among the five great ninja villages, Kumogakure is the only one that can rival Konoha in terms of high-end combat power. Not only does it possess a stable and inherited Lightning Release chakra mode and multiple bloodline limits, but it was also the first to realize the transformation of tailed beasts into weapons, and has long harbored the idea of ​​replacing Konoha.

Incidentally, although there is no clear evidence, many signs indicate that the destruction of Uzushiogakure was closely related to Kumogakure and Kirigakure, with the former benefiting the most. This explains why they were able to quickly cultivate stable and controllable perfect Jinchūriki.

In terms of tailed beast weapons, Kumogakure has even surpassed Konoha in progress.

If the two sides were to engage in a full-scale war, under normal circumstances, Konoha's chances of winning would be around 60%. The two previous Shinobi World Wars have proven this point.

And if we include Sunagakure, it becomes a two-on-one situation...

The pressure was immense.

"Wait, what is Iwagakure doing? What if they send Iwagakure to help restrain Sunagakure?"

Someone discovered the blind spot.

Upon hearing this,

Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two advisors exchanged glances. "We've already sent a letter to Iwagakure, but judging from the current situation, they're most likely planning to remain neutral. A significant portion of the troops that Sunagakure has recently mobilized were drawn from the border regions of Kaze and Tu."

Compared to the Land of Fire, the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth is longer, so both countries have deployed more troops along that line.

Now that Sunagakure has managed to free up manpower from there...

This can only mean that they have most likely reached some kind of agreement with Iwagakure, and are preparing to pool their resources and go all in. If they win, they'll be working as models at a nightclub; if they lose, they'll have to work as models in the sex industry.