Chapter 65: Combination Techniques
Then Kaito instructed, "Alright, let's try again. Only this time, I'll throw a small stone at you, and you need to retreat quickly to dodge it."
Hodaka formed hand seals, then pressed his palms firmly against the ground.
Kaito waited for the technique to complete. The instant the earth wall formed, he threw the stone at Hodaka.
Hodaka quickly leaped backward to evade. Kaito nodded with approval and said, "Good, that's fast enough."
Mieko asked impatiently, "So what's this grand plan of yours?"
Kaito explained, "I'm thinking we should both learn this technique as well. If we master it, then when Hodaka uses the jutsu and retreats, one of us can immediately create another Earth-Style Wall behind him and repeat the process. Another concept—if all three of us can channel chakra into the same earth wall simultaneously, it would become significantly stronger and larger. If this proves feasible, it could be extremely useful defensively."
Hodaka and Mieko both nodded in agreement. They continued brainstorming and developed several additional tactical combinations.
At 11 AM, Renjiro reappeared. He asked directly, "Have you developed any viable strategies?"
Kaito began explaining, "We conceived a multi-layered defense system. The fundamental concept involves me using Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken while Hodaka uses Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall to create an earth barrier behind my wind defense. Then we can add more layers by having Hodaka retreat immediately after forming his wall, allowing Mieko to create another earth barrier and repeat the same procedure."
Renjiro appeared quite surprised by this elaborate idea and asked pointedly, "What exactly are you attempting to defend against with such measures?"
Mieko and Hodaka both looked at Kaito expectantly, who replied somewhat awkwardly, "Uh... an extremely powerful offensive technique?"
Renjiro admonished them, "If your enemy employs a technique so overwhelmingly powerful that it requires this level of defense, then you're already completely outmatched and should retreat immediately. Moreover, it's never tactically sound to have every squad member focused on defense simultaneously. Also, Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall isn't the optimal defensive jutsu—numerous other techniques perform better. For now, combining Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken with a single Earth-Style Wall should prove sufficient. However, if you and Mieko wish to learn Earth-Style Wall for versatility, proceed. This technique remains quite useful in various combat situations."
Kaito nodded, sighing internally, "It seems excessive defense isn't necessarily beneficial either."
He continued, "Another combination concept we developed involves Hodaka using Earth Release: Stone Shuriken, while I employ Manipulated Shuriken Technique to control their trajectories."
Renjiro nodded approvingly and said, "That should function effectively. Anything else?"
This time Mieko responded enthusiastically, "Sensei, I conceived the idea of Kaito launching Wind Release: Pressure Damage into my Fire Release: Fireball Technique. The wind sphere's explosion would dramatically expand my fireball's blast radius. The wind generated when the Pressure Damage detonates would also scatter the flames chaotically in all directions."
Renjiro nodded again and commented, "That's an innovative concept. However, Kaito, if you want to effectively assist Mieko with this, your Wind Release: Pressure Damage must become considerably more powerful."
Kaito nodded and said, "Yes, sensei."
Hodaka suddenly interjected, "Sensei, I also developed an idea. My concept involves throwing Stone Shuriken into either Kaito's Wind Release: Great Breakthrough or Mieko's Fire Release: Fireball, which would create additional chaos. The enemy would also need to watch for the stone projectiles concealed within those techniques."
Renjiro said thoughtfully, "I understand your reasoning. However, I don't recommend throwing Stone Shuriken into Fireball Technique. If the enemy evades the Fireball, your Stone Shuriken will likewise be avoided. And if the Fireball successfully strikes the enemy, it inflicts sufficient damage independently."
Hodaka nodded in understanding.
Seeing that the genin had stopped proposing ideas, Renjiro asked, "Any other concepts?"
All three shook their heads. Renjiro announced, "Alright, these combination techniques are sufficient for initial training. Begin practicing them now. Kaito, create a Shadow Clone and have it practice the Stone Shuriken and Manipulated Shuriken combination with Hodaka. Your original body will train with Mieko."
The genin dispersed as their instructor directed. Renjiro also created several Shadow Clones to monitor their progress closely.
Hodaka and Kaito's Shadow Clone would likely have no serious issues, but Kaito and Mieko would definitely start multiple fires. Renjiro had absolutely no doubt about this outcome.
Hodaka and Kaito's Shadow Clone relocated to a different area. The clone marked large "X" symbols on various tree trunks at different heights and distances.
They exchanged glances and nodded. Both formed hand seals simultaneously.
Hodaka launched his Stone Shuriken at the various "X" marks placed by Kaito, and the Shadow Clone attempted to control those stone projectiles to strike the designated targets accurately.
However, the first anticipated problem immediately occurred. Hodaka looked at Kaito and observed, "So you can only control nine shuriken simultaneously."
Kaito nodded and confirmed, "Yes, exactly as I predicted. Because these are stone shuriken, and their construction quality doesn't match regular metal shuriken, they're slightly more difficult to manipulate precisely. Let's attempt the second method."
Hodaka nodded and cast Earth Release: Stone Shuriken again.
This time, Kaito used Manipulated Shuriken Technique to influence all the projectiles collectively.
He redirected all the shuriken to veer left. Hodaka observed the results and reported, "This time all the shuriken changed direction as intended. However, only three shuriken struck targets, compared to sixteen during the last attempt."
Kaito nodded and analyzed, "Correct. If I want to control all the shuriken simultaneously, I can only make them move in a single unified direction. So the precision control over each individual shuriken becomes significantly reduced. Additionally, this method will also disrupt your initial aiming."
Suddenly, one of Renjiro's Shadow Clones flickered into existence behind Kaito and Hodaka. Renjiro had appeared behind them unexpectedly numerous times this month, so they'd grown accustomed to it. Renjiro asked, "In what tactical scenarios would you employ which method? Hodaka, answer first."
Hodaka began thinking carefully. Several minutes later, he explained, "If we face fewer enemies, the first method would prove more effective. The enemy would first need to evade my initial projectile barrage, then also worry about the shuriken controlled individually by Kaito. The second method becomes more useful when we confront large numbers of enemies. The sudden directional change of all the shuriken simultaneously would cause some casualties, and even if enemies successfully avoid them, they'd need to maintain heightened awareness, which buys us valuable time."
Renjiro nodded approvingly and turned to Kaito.
Kaito replied, "My assessment matches Hodaka's analysis. However, I should further refine my control precision. In the first scenario, the results might prove satisfactory. But in the second scenario, there remains substantial room for improvement. For instance, after I redirect the shuriken's trajectory, if I can then exert individual control over some projectiles to manipulate them further, I could definitely hit specific targets rather than relying entirely on chance."
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