Chapter 489: Exploring Potential
Land of Grass.
Villages surrounding the Grass Village.
"I've long heard of Iwagakure jonin Kitsuchi's name. Today, I finally get to meet you in person." The leader of the Grass Village smiled as he offered Kitsuchi a compliment the moment they met.
On the surface, his status looked higher. After all, he was the leader of a shinobi village, while Kitsuchi was only the Tsuchikage's son.
But reality was not that simple.
He was merely the leader of a minor village. Kitsuchi, however, was the son of one of the Five Great Kage, and a famous powerhouse known across the shinobi world. In truth, their standing was far closer than it appeared.
Kitsuchi nodded once. He did not waste time on pleasantries and went straight to business.
"Now that Konoha shinobi are waging war in the Land of Grass, I assume you've been swallowing anger for a long time. We, Iwagakure, have prepared a perfect battle plan to defeat Konoha."
"As long as the plan proceeds smoothly, your Grass shinobi won't be exposed for participating. At the same time, we will deal Konoha a heavy blow and rescue the Land of Grass from its current disaster."
The Land of Grass bordered the Land of Fire. To ease Grass Village's worries, Iwagakure intended to help Grass shinobi disguise themselves as Iwagakure. They only needed Grass Village's strength, not for Grass shinobi to openly stand beside Iwagakure and fight Konoha.
The leader of Grass Village fell silent, his expression turning thoughtful.
It had to be said, the plan sounded tempting, for both sides.
From Grass Village's perspective, if it succeeded, the war on their land would finally end, and the Land of Grass would not directly offend the behemoth known as Konoha.
From Iwagakure's perspective, if the plan succeeded and they crushed Konoha's forces, Iwagakure's prestige would soar, Konoha's strength would be weakened, and the war could be pushed into the Land of Fire itself.
It sounded like a perfect win win.
But would reality truly be that beautiful?
The leader of Grass Village reviewed Kitsuchi's words carefully and realized something important had been skipped.
How, exactly, would victory be guaranteed against Konoha's forces?
Winning was the prerequisite for any win win result. If they lost, Grass Village not only gained nothing, they also faced a serious risk of exposure.
And Konoha's forces were not weak. They were frighteningly strong.
The commander in the Land of Grass was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, famous since the Second Great Shinobi War. Under him were many experienced jonin and chunin.
"The Konoha shinobi are truly despicable!" the leader of Grass Village said, fury on his face. "Our Grass shinobi will do everything we can to help your village defeat Konoha!"
He agreed, loudly and decisively.
Iwagakure had schemes. The plan had traps.
But he had schemes of his own as well.
If he truly allied with Iwagakure just because Konoha was fighting in the Land of Grass, he would not be qualified to lead a village.
If anything, it was Iwagakure who declared war. That was why Konoha and Iwagakure were now fighting on Grass land in the first place.
Kitsuchi revealed a satisfied smile.
Maybe this war truly was Iwagakure's chance to dominate the shinobi world and become the number one village. Everything was progressing smoothly.
Kitsuchi left two Iwagakure jonin behind as liaisons, then set off to return to Iwagakure.
His mission here was complete. The next steps belonged to other Iwagakure shinobi. His task now was to report back to Onoki.
"Leader Yokogawa Tsutomu," Jin said after they returned to the Grass Village and confirmed there were no Iwagakure shinobi nearby, "I feel like Iwagakure's plan isn't as good as it looks on the surface. We need to be careful."
Yokogawa Tsutomu nodded. "Your instincts are correct. The great villages have never taken small villages like ours seriously. They call it cooperation, but really they're just picking up a decent weapon wherever they can."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But danger also represents opportunity. The Land of Grass has been quiet for too long. It's time for us."
Yokogawa Tsutomu led Jin and several trusted confidants into a secluded, dense forest within the Grass Village territory.
He formed hand seals.
A cave entrance suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Yokogawa Tsutomu jumped down without hesitation. Jin and the others followed quickly after him.
"Leader!"
The Grass shinobi guarding the underground research base hurried forward to greet him.
Yokogawa Tsutomu nodded, then turned his gaze toward the center of the base.
There sat a giant, eerie box.
Each of the four sides had a human face carved into it, and each face wore a different expression. Some were twisted with anger. Others looked drowned in sorrow.
Yokogawa Tsutomu stepped up and placed his hand on the box.
He had no idea what material it was made from. He had once used ninjutsu with all his strength alongside his confidants, yet they could not even leave a single crack on its surface.
"It's clearly just a box that absorbs chakra," Yokogawa Tsutomu said, patting it, "yet the legends claim it can grant any wish."
He turned back with a smile, speaking to his confidants.
"After all, this is the Paradise Box," Jin said, showing no doubt at all. "It was created by the Sage of Six Paths, the one said to have founded the shinobi world."
The Land of Grass was in decline now, but it had once enjoyed a brief period of glory in ancient times.
According to ruins they had unearthed, the Land of Grass had suddenly risen because it opened the Paradise Box, the artifact that could grant wishes. But for some unknown reason, it fell just as quickly.
"But even the Sage of Six Paths himself couldn't fulfill every wish," Yokogawa Tsutomu said. He did not believe the legend that the Paradise Box could grant any wish.
If it truly granted wishes that easily, then why did the Sage disappear?
Why did the Shinobi Sect split apart and collapse?
Yokogawa Tsutomu could believe the Paradise Box could boost a shinobi's power. But granting any wish was nonsense.
In his view, those rumors likely came from a simpler truth.
The box strengthened people. Those people then used that power to fulfill their own desires, and over time the story became, "It grants wishes."
Jin looked at Yokogawa Tsutomu in confusion.
Many within the Grass Core truly believed the legend.
Yokogawa Tsutomu had even promoted cooperation with Iwagakure by saying they should intensify the war between Iwagakure and Konoha, causing more shinobi deaths, so they could gather the nourishment needed to open the Paradise Box.
Jin could not understand it. If Yokogawa Tsutomu did not believe in the legend, why still involve themselves in the war?
"Wishes like immortality are certainly difficult," Yokogawa Tsutomu said, smiling as he patted Jin's shoulder. "But smaller wishes, like becoming stronger, I believe it has no problem with those."
Originally, Yokogawa Tsutomu had not been particularly interested in the Paradise Box.
But the sudden rise of Shinobi Master Sosuke had changed his mind.
Sosuke, relying on the inheritance of sage arts, rebuilt the Shinobi Sect and suppressed the Demigod Hanzo. He became a top tier powerhouse known across the shinobi world.
And the Paradise Box was, after all, a ninja tool created by the founder of the Shinobi Sect, the Sage of Six Paths himself.
How could it be much worse than that so called sage art inheritance?
Yokogawa Tsutomu was gambling.
He did not expect the Paradise Box to truly grant wishes and let Grass Village rule the world overnight.
As long as it could give him power beyond Sosuke's, then Grass Village would finally have a foundation for its rise.
…
Sunday.
Konoha. South Border Forest.
"Good morning, Kakashi senpai." Yamato saw Kakashi approaching and extended his right hand slightly in greeting.
Kakashi's face was stern. "So quiet, and you still want to be a shinobi? Louder."
Startled by Kakashi's seriousness, Yamato immediately obeyed and shouted at full volume.
"Kakashi senpai! Good morning!"
Kakashi inspected him carefully, then said with a straight face, "Also, I prefer juniors who greet with their left hand."
Yamato: …
Kakashi senpai was terrifyingly strict.
Even Danzo never cared whether he greeted with his left or right hand.
"Good morning," Kakashi said, stopping at the perfect moment. "Let's work hard for a new day."
Then he began his training.
Yamato finally breathed out in relief, then started practicing Basic Breathing by assuming different breathing postures.
About ten minutes later, the other disciples arrived one after another.
Rin, worried Feebas would be lonely at home, immediately brought it out the moment she arrived, guiding it into the small river that ran through the South Border Forest.
Following Mugetsu's guidance, Rin did not train Feebas the way Rockruff or Riolu trained.
Instead, she cared for it with extreme patience, helped with its body care, and kept praising it, helping it maintain confidence in itself.
"Shisui, how do you teach Zorua ninjutsu?" Obito asked after failing over and over to teach Fire Dragon Fire Release, finally coming to Shisui for advice.
Logically, Kakashi should have the most experience since his nin beast hatched first, but just imagining Kakashi's expression made Obito's stomach twist, so he decisively chose his clan brother instead.
"I didn't teach it ninjutsu," Shisui answered, shaking his head.
Obito scratched his head, confused.
"I think when they're newly born, it's better to train the abilities they naturally have first," Shisui said. "Like Zorua's genjutsu."
First, Shisui felt newborn nin beasts had far too much to learn.
Second, he believed their innate abilities had enormous potential and needed deep exploration.
Shisui had studied Zorua's genjutsu carefully and found that its natural genjutsu ability was extremely interesting.
At its core, genjutsu interfered with an opponent's five senses using chakra, dragging them into illusion.
From that foundation, there were many ways to apply it. There were visual genjutsu, triggered by what someone saw, and auditory genjutsu, triggered when someone heard a sound.
Most of Shisui's genjutsu were visual based. And when visual genjutsu was cast through the Sharingan, it became even more powerful.
Shisui believed Zorua's genjutsu was also visual based, but unlike ordinary visual genjutsu, its strength came from being centered on its own body.
As long as someone saw Zorua's body after it cast the technique, they would fall into the illusion instantly.
Even though Zorua's genjutsu was relatively easy to dispel, the conditions to be caught by it were absurdly easy.
Shisui believed it would be extremely useful in a chaotic battle.
"I'll try," Obito said.
He could only explore on his own for now, continuing to think about Fire Dragon's path to strength during breaks.
"It has to be fire," Obito muttered. "Kakashi's dog can control the rocks on its neck to attack. So maybe Fire Dragon can control the flames on its tail to attack!"
A sudden flash of inspiration hit him.
He immediately told Fire Dragon to try.
Fire Dragon raised its arms, tried to scratch its head, then realized its arms were too short. It could only scratch its face. After that, it stared at Obito blankly.
No matter how Obito emphasized it, Fire Dragon could not use the flames on its tail to attack right now.
"Fire Dragon, Fire Dragon!"
It began waving its arms, clearly trying to explain something.
Obito scratched the back of his head, not understanding why it suddenly started flailing.
"Are you saying you want to learn dancing?" Obito asked, stroking his chin as he tried to analyze.
Fire Dragon became anxious. It pointed its short arms backward at its tail, then waved wildly again.
"Tail?" Obito said. "You don't want it anymore?"
Thud.
Fire Dragon collapsed to the ground, fainting on the spot from sheer anger at its idiotic contractor.
"Shisui," Obito said quickly, "lend me your Zorua."
Communication was impossible. He had no choice but to call in a translator.
"Fire Dragon, Fire Dragon," Fire Dragon continued, insisting that the flames on its tail could not be used to attack.
"I see." Zorua listened, then nodded with an enlightened expression.
Obito leaned forward. "What did it say?"
"It said it won't use its tail flames to attack," Zorua replied with an innocent face, "and then it told you to buy delicious food for the great Lord Zorua."
Obito's face went blank.
"Shisui," he said immediately, grabbing Zorua by the scruff and carrying it back, "here's your red furred fox."
Buy food?
Did it think he was stupid?
That was obviously Zorua's personal request.
Obito returned to exploring Fire Dragon's abilities.
When he questioned Fire Dragon's Fire Release talent, Fire Dragon opened its mouth and spat out a small stream of flame.
Obito's eyes lit up in pure excitement.
In his mind, he could already see the future where his nin beast thrashed the red furred fox and burned the white furred dog into surrender.
Watching everyone play with their nin beasts during break time, Yamato's eyes shimmered with envy.
If he also had a nin beast like that, living alone would be more interesting, wouldn't it?
The moment he noticed Mugetsu looking his way, Yamato quickly fixed his expression.
He wanted a nin beast, but he did not want to trouble Mugetsu. Mugetsu had already taken excellent care of him.
After training ended, Kakashi noticed Yamato standing alone and walked over.
"Do you want to go eat dinner together?" Kakashi asked proactively.
"Oh, I don't know, Kakashi senpai," Yamato said, flustered. "Don't you have to go home?"
"I'm the only one at home," Kakashi answered calmly. "So it doesn't matter when I go back."
Yamato froze.
He had not expected Kakashi was also an orphan, just like him.
Maybe because of that similarity, Yamato, driven by a strange impulse, nodded.
"Alright."
"However," Kakashi added, voice flat, "since this is our first time eating together, as a junior, shouldn't you show something, Yamato?"
Yamato subconsciously touched his thin wallet.
No parents. No missions yet. Only a small allowance from Root.
"I'll treat you, senpai," Yamato said, his heart bleeding as he spoke.
If he had not been worried his earlier words might have hurt Kakashi, he would have refused and fled on the spot.
Now, Yamato could only pray Kakashi would choose something cheap.
But to Yamato's despair, Kakashi did not go to an affordable ramen shop.
He walked straight into a nicely decorated restaurant.
When it came time to pay, Yamato's hand trembled as he pulled out his wallet. Inside, he was already crying.
"Just kidding," Kakashi said, as calm as ever.
He took out a few banknotes and handed them to the cashier.
Yamato stared at Kakashi, frozen.
For a moment, he even felt like Kakashi's mask carried a strange kind of charm.
.....
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