Yangmō.
Using someone else's blade to strike your enemy.
---
"If that's the case... the ninja envoys from the Cloud may not be leaving the Land of Fire so easily."
Nara Shikaku's voice trailed off, eyes narrowed in thought.
Standing beside him, the Third Hokage nodded gravely.
"For the Hidden Cloud, it's very likely an elite squad has already entered Fire Country's borders. Perhaps even an entire battle regiment is waiting at the edge of our land."
"Exactly." Shikaku's tone was clipped. "If the envoy is killed, the Fourth Raikage will seize the chance to accuse Konoha and manipulate the political landscape. If the envoy survives… Cloud can lay claim to Byakugan, Sharingan… even our Jinchūriki."
"A masterstroke," Hiruzen muttered. His brows furrowed deeper.
These weren't just ninja games—this was war by other means.
Both men were seasoned strategists. It hadn't taken them long to see through the veiled maneuvering.
"And if I were the Raikage…" Hiruzen murmured, "I might do the same."
He turned to the masked figure standing silently nearby.
"Tatsuya… I truly did not misjudge you."
Nara Shikaku gave a rare nod of respect. "I don't often admit this, but your insight… it's impressive."
Tatsuya simply offered a faint smile.
He already knew the sequence of events that would unfold.
This wasn't foresight.
This was memory.
He knew what was coming—Orochimaru's defection, the Uchiha massacre, the Akatsuki rising, and eventually, the Fourth Great Ninja War.
And he understood: if he wanted to survive it all…
He needed power.
And information.
Even picking up attributes required knowing where the powerful shinobi were.
If he couldn't track them, he couldn't absorb anything at all.
"Tatsuya," Hiruzen said with a smile, "Report to the ANBU Headquarters. There may be an S-rank mission coming in soon. Be ready."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Tatsuya turned and disappeared into the corridor, his footsteps light.
Behind him, both men watched in silence.
"He'll be one of the pillars of this village," Hiruzen said with quiet conviction.
Shikaku simply nodded.
---
Half an hour later — ANBU Headquarters
The stone halls of the ANBU base felt both familiar and foreign.
Tatsuya walked calmly through the corridor.
On the night of the Nine Tails attack, he had been a squad leader.
His entire team had perished in that chaos.
Now, he was returning as a sub-captain, overseeing four ANBU squads.
Whether any familiar faces remained… he didn't know.
> [You picked up 20 Chakra points.]
[You picked up 20 Chakra points.]
[You picked up 50 Combat Experience points.]
[You picked up 30 Fire Style Affinity points.]
[You picked up 20 Fire Style Affinity points.]
Golden particles of energy floated unseen to the others, but not to him.
By the time he reached the equipment distribution window, he had absorbed over a dozen pulses of golden light—combat experience, Fire Style affinity, and pure Chakra.
> Fire Style Affinity: lv4 (450 / 1000)
His strongest element was nearing full mastery.
Wind and Lightning were close behind at lv3, while Water and Earth sat at lv2.
Yin and Yang Release remained at the base—lv1, untouched.
The fact that he wielded all five nature affinities was already an anomaly, even among elite Jōnin.
"Captain Tatsuya, here's your new gear."
The ANBU equipment clerk passed him a fresh uniform, mask, and basic tools.
"Thanks."
"No need to thank me. It's good to have you back."
The tone was warm. Familiar.
Tatsuya gave a small nod, took the gear, and headed toward the locker room.
He changed into the uniform, but didn't wear the mask yet.
Instead, he made his way toward the ANBU training grounds.
He couldn't wait.
Daily pickups inside the hospital had been weak.
But here… surrounded by high-level shinobi in live training?
The gold would shine like never before.
"Captain Tatsuya!"
"Congrats!"
"Kazu—ah, I mean, Captain Tatsuya, looks like I report to you now!"
Laughter and greetings followed him through the halls.
Despite his cold demeanor in battle, Tatsuya's deeds on the night of the Nine Tails were legendary.
He had earned ANBU's respect the hard way.
He offered a polite nod to each.
> [You picked up 10 Chakra points.]
[You picked up 30 Chakra points.]
[You picked up 20 Chakra points.]
[You picked up 10 Chakra points.]
[You picked up 40 Chakra points.]
As he entered the training grounds, a torrent of golden energy began to swirl.
> [You picked up 300 Chakra points.]
[Your Chakra capacity has increased.]
[Chakra Level: lv4 — Kage-tier threshold reached.]
Tatsuya stood still for a moment, letting the surge wash through him.
His Chakra roared inside him like an awakened tide.
Kage-level Chakra.
This was no minor increase—this was a qualitative evolution.
And yet…
He wasn't arrogant enough to think that Chakra alone made him a Kage.
His experience, jutsu mastery, and tactical depth still had room to grow.
But even among Kage, there were levels.
Some were thunderclaps.
Others… were shadows moving beneath the surface.
Tatsuya belonged to the second kind.
And he had no intention of remaining weaker than any of them.
> [Divine Pickup Ability Active]
Continue absorbing elite ninja traits...
Just as he turned to step onto the sparring floor—
Shing!
A black Shuriken sliced through the air, straight toward him—
---