In the span of a single month, excluding time spent resting and preparing, Araki led Yubi and Sasori in nearly ten raids on Rain Village border outposts.
From cautious beginnings to effortless execution, Yubi's growth filled Araki with satisfaction.
All the combat experience and techniques he taught Yubi were meant for real battle. A person's future potential was determined by how quickly they grew stronger on the battlefield—not by training in isolation.
Each infiltration route into the Land of Rain was spaced far apart to prevent the Rain shinobi from strengthening their border defenses in advance. However, as the incursions increased, the Rain Village eventually concluded that the Land of Wind was conducting a deliberate campaign of harassment along the border. After one particularly risky retreat, Araki finally ended Sasori and Yubi's competition.
Across those ten missions, the two had traded victories. In terms of overall performance, they were evenly matched. In terms of kill count, however, Sasori still held the lead.
Even so, Yubi's displayed talent and ability were nothing short of monstrous—especially that sinister assassination jutsu, "Blade Manipulation Art."
To Araki, the technique's power and effectiveness were astonishing. Learning that Yubi had created it himself using puppet-style methods—and inspired by Sasori, left him speechless.
An eight-year-old genin who had just graduated from the Academy had created an A-rank ninjutsu? Across the entire shinobi world, that was almost unbelievable.
Araki had already sent a report back to Sunagakure to inform the Third Kazekage. Any self-created ninjutsu strengthened the village's military power and was considered a valuable asset. Of course, whether Yubi would share it with the village depended on his own decision.
After careful observation, Araki concluded that although the technique seemed simple, it was extremely difficult to master. While chakra consumption and control difficulty were relatively low, the precision required to manipulate a flying blade at long distance was far beyond what most shinobi could achieve quickly.
For puppet masters with some foundation, it was somewhat easier to grasp. Sasori had tried imitating it using chakra threads; however, the results were greatly reduced—only about C-rank in effectiveness. The problem lay in the special wire and surgical blade Yubi used. As distance increased, the feedback became faint and difficult to control—unlike puppets. Using chakra threads instead would drastically reduce the jutsu's stealth.
Before long, Yubi's assignment patrolling the border came to an end. He and Araki would return to Sunagakure to report.
Over the past three months, his experiences had been extraordinary. He had begun transforming into a powerful shinobi.
---
Meanwhile – Rain Village.
Hanzo of the Salamander sat inside a traditional room, drinking wine. His chest was bare, several beautiful women clinging to him.
Rain Village had grown from a small settlement into its current scale largely because of him. In the Land of Rain, his prestige and authority were unshakable.
Without him, there would be no Rain Village.
But as the war dragged on, Hanzo understood clearly—this was the end. He could do nothing against Konoha or Sunagakure. The Land of Rain could expand no further. The war was nearing its conclusion, and there was no need for further aggression.
He had already gained what he wanted.
Now he was known as the "Demigod of the Shinobi World."
Yet as he listened to the report from the kneeling subordinate before him, his eyes turned cold and murderous.
Compared to the major villages, Rain Village's foundation was far too weak. Though he had trained countless soldiers, they were laughable compared to Sunagakure or Konoha. There was no one capable of taking on major responsibility.
Everything had to be done personally. Otherwise, these useless subordinates would never meet his expectations.
"Three people… raided our border outposts nearly ten times, and you still let them escape?" Hanzo said coldly.
"My lord… one of them is Araki, an elite jonin and the Third Kazekage's guard. Another is Chiyo's grandson, the genius puppet master Sasori…" the trembling shinobi tried to explain.
Border friction between Rain and Sand was common. Normally it was nothing worth mentioning.
But this incident was different.
Only three people had invaded ten times in a month. Each time they were discovered and forced to retreat—but only after killing many Rain shinobi. Rain Village had only realized the seriousness of the situation after suffering significant losses. They hadn't managed to kill even one of the attackers.
This negligence enraged Hanzo.
And now his subordinate dared to excuse it by praising the enemy's strength.
Bang!
Hanzo formed hand seals and used the Water Body Flicker Technique to appear behind the kneeling shinobi. His heavy punch sent the man flying, smashing through wooden panels several meters away and splattering blood.
Mentioning Sasori only made Hanzo angrier. That brat was Chiyo's grandson—and Hanzo and Chiyo were bitter enemies. Most of Rain Village's defeats against Sunagakure had been because of her. Now he was hearing about her genius grandson as well.
The women in the room trembled in silence.
"Sasori…"
Hanzo stepped forward and stared at the report on the table, which recorded the raids and casualties. It included simple sketches.
He knew Araki. He had heard of Sasori.
But who was the other child?
Another genius?
Hanzo narrowed his eyes. Why do the great villages always produce geniuses?
He sneered. In the shinobi world, he had seen countless geniuses—but few survived.
Most died young.
If he remembered correctly, Chiyo's descendants had once died at the hands of the White Fang of the Leaf. Sasori was now an orphan.
Rain Village would focus on defense from now on, but the war between Sunagakure and Konoha showed no signs of slowing.
"Someone!"
A Rain shinobi appeared instantly and knelt.
"Send this intelligence to Konoha. Emphasize these two boys—exaggerate their threat as much as possible. As for us, report heavy losses."
"Th-this…"
"Do as I say!"
"…Yes!"
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