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Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Time to Ramp Things Up!

Among the scavengers, one crow stood out—it was more selective and had a much larger appetite.

Any corpse this crow picked out would vanish instantly.

After collecting three bodies, the crow, which was actually Shūichi in disguise, noticed someone approaching. He and the other birds quickly flapped their wings and soared into the night sky.

The Stone Ninja had come to reclaim their dead!

Earlier, they had been forced to retreat and couldn\'t retrieve their fallen comrades in time. Now, after the Sand Ninja had withdrawn into the oasis, they had come back to collect the bodies.

"Damn scavengers!"

The Stone Ninja cursed, with some even using the Earth Release: Stone Cannon technique to attack the flying crows and vultures.

Shūichi, still in crow form, was among the targets, but he easily evaded the ninjutsu.

He cast a sharp glance over the Stone Ninja before flying away, and with a Flying Thunder God technique, he teleported to one of his underground bases.

The place he arrived at was an old ruin, likely buried by the sands of time. Shūichi had repurposed it, using Earth Release to make some modifications, and then marked it with his Flying Thunder God seal, turning it into a temporary storage for the bodies.

As a crow, he had used his talons to activate Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder to teleport the bodies here.

In doing so, he not only collected corpses for research, but also honed his Flying Thunder God technique—a double win.

After sealing the bodies in pre-prepared scrolls, Shūichi finally sat down to rest, while contemplating the current state of the Sand-Rock war.

There was no doubt that, at the outset, the Stone Ninja had been like an unstoppable force, charging deep into the Land of Wind.

This was because Sunagakure had spread its forces too thin in their pursuit of Sasori of the Red Sand, leaving their defenses weak.

However, Sunagakure had since recovered and stabilized the situation.

This quick turnaround was due to a combination of factors.

First, the terrain of the Land of Wind provided them with a natural advantage, allowing for a strong defense.

Though the Land of Earth\'s environment was harsh, it was nowhere near as severe as the Land of Wind.

And second, the Sand Ninja were fighting with the resolve of a cornered army.

Their greatest Kazekage had been assassinated, and not only did the Stone Ninja refuse to apologize or hand over the culprit, they launched an invasion instead. How could the Sand Ninja let this stand?

Because of this, in every battle Shūichi had observed, the Sand Ninja fought with a desperate intensity, causing the Stone Ninja\'s early momentum to falter, and their offensive to stall.

"Unfortunately, neither the Four-Tails nor the One-Tail Jinchuriki have shown up," Shūichi thought with some regret.

Though he had obtained a piece of the Four-Tails\' flesh for research, both he and Orochimaru estimated it would only grow into one tail at most.

Even the Eight-Tails could only regenerate a single horn, and anything beyond that was extremely difficult, if not impossible, to grow.

"Stone Ninja..."

Shūichi\'s thoughts began to stir. "The intensity of the conflict isn\'t high enough yet. How else will they be forced to reveal their Jinchuriki?"

"Plus, with the Great Ninja War looming, it\'s only a matter of time before Konoha gets drawn in."

"The more the Stone and Sand Ninja exhaust themselves now, the better it is for Konoha."

To be honest, Shūichi wasn\'t impressed by either Hiruzen Sarutobi\'s or Danzo\'s strategies.

Danzo was too aggressive—entering the war too early would put Konoha at a disadvantage.

On the other hand, Hiruzen was too cautious and passive.

What was needed right now was someone to stir up trouble!

Recalling the Stone Ninja who had attacked him earlier, Shūichi\'s eyes sharpened, and a smile crept onto his face. "Let\'s start with the Stone Ninja!"

"It\'s time to ramp up the intensity!"

"First, I\'ll head back to Konoha to replenish my chakra."

"And I\'ll bring the bodies back with me—wouldn\'t want them stolen."

Shūichi was still wary of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.

They were too good at hiding.

After stowing the scrolls, Shūichi\'s figure vanished.

...

The bodies were transported to the experimental base, and at the moment Shūichi\'s clone dispersed, he had just finished training with Asuka. It was already nearing 10 PM.

After washing up and saying goodnight to Nono and Asuka, Shūichi returned to his bedroom. He then released the seal on his abdomen, unleashing a massive amount of chakra, which he used to create two shadow clones.

Since he planned to intervene in the war and intensify the conflict, it only made sense to deploy one clone to each side.

However, the Stone Ninja had already grasped his chakra signature, and the Sand Ninja knew him well enough—especially their sensory ninjas—so caution was necessary.

The best way to handle the situation would be to eliminate everyone who knew about him...

The two shadow clones vanished from the room, while Shūichi lay down and peacefully went to sleep.

---

Land of Wind, Underground Hideout.

Shūichi\'s two shadow clones appeared. One stayed behind, while the other vanished once again using the Flying Thunder God technique.

In the air, Shūichi transformed into a crow and flew to the battlefield where he had previously gathered corpses.

After circling for a moment, the crow descended and transformed into a moth.

At the temporary Stone Ninja camp, tall walls stood guard, with the night watchmen either sitting atop the walls or hiding in the shadows.

Inside the walls, several campfires burned, bringing warmth to the camp.

A moth fluttering toward the fire didn\'t raise any suspicion.

The Stone Ninja on guard weren\'t paying attention to the sky—or to a simple moth.

After all, while ninjas could use transformation techniques to become birds, they still couldn\'t fly.

Inside the camp, the resting Stone Ninja weren\'t sitting by the fire; instead, they were in half-open, dome-like shelters made from Earth Release.

The moth circled the campfire once before flying into one of the shelters.

Inside were four Stone Ninjas—an entire squad.

Temple of Nirvana Technique!

The four ninjas, who were half-asleep, were immediately plunged into a deep slumber.

Yet Shūichi didn\'t strike right away. Instead, he flew out and entered other shelters, putting each group of Stone Ninjas into a deep hypnotic sleep.

But soon, a problem arose. One of the Jonin, alert to the presence of the moth, woke up and resisted the Temple of Nirvana Technique.

Before the Jonin could fully break the illusion and warn his comrades, Shūichi cast another genjutsu.

Binding Illusion!

The Stone Jonin was paralyzed, unable to speak, though Shūichi knew the bind wouldn\'t last long.

Realizing he couldn\'t stay hidden any longer, Shūichi transformed from a moth into the Sand Ninja.

The Stone Jonin\'s eyes widened as he struggled desperately to break free from the genjutsu\'s hold.

Buzz!

Shūichi raised his right hand, Wind Release chakra swirling around it. The high-speed flow of the wind chakra turned it into a deadly cutting tool. With a swift slash, the Stone Jonin, who had just broken free of the genjutsu, had his throat cut.

Gurgle!

The Jonin clutched his neck and collapsed.

However, the surge of chakra from Shūichi\'s attack alerted the Stone Ninjas outside on guard duty.

"Who\'s using ninjutsu?"

One of the sentries on the wall snapped his head around, sniffed the air, and his expression changed dramatically. "This is bad!"

"Enemy attack!"

The sharp cry roused the other Stone Ninjas who hadn\'t fallen under the genjutsu.

At this point, Shūichi had already transformed into a gust of wind and slipped out of the shelter. In the next moment, a powerful storm erupted from the center of the camp, sweeping outward in all directions.

The ground had been hardened by the Stone Ninja, so there was no sand, but the campfires were extinguished, and the violent winds slowed the advance of the outside guards.

Bringer of Darkness Technique!

Instantly, all the awakened Stone Ninjas were robbed of their sight, plunged into total darkness.

"Damn it, this isn\'t a Sand Ninja technique—it\'s from Konoha!"

An older Stone Jonin shouted.

However, their usual methods for dispelling genjutsu weren\'t working quickly enough, and none of the Stone Ninjas dared to cast any ninjutsu in the confusion.

Amidst the darkness, Shūichi inhaled sharply and then exhaled a series of razor-sharp wind blades.

Pshh!

Ahhh!

Blood splattered as screams pierced the night.

One by one, the Stone Ninjas fell. Some barely managed to dodge the attacks, but it was only a matter of time.

Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!

With a single technique, most of the lower-level Stone Ninjas were wiped out.

After that, Shūichi casually picked up a ninja blade from the ground. Infusing it with Wind Release chakra, he charged at a nearby Stone Jonin.

"Damn it, come at me!" the Jonin roared, his skin hardening as he gripped a kunai, relying on his hearing to counterattack.

He planned to withstand Shūichi\'s strike and use the opening for a counterattack.

Ordinary blades couldn\'t pierce his hardened skin, and even Wind Release-enhanced weapons might not deliver a fatal blow in one hit.

Unfortunately for him, Shūichi\'s Wind Release skills were rare even in the ninja world.

Not only did the Jonin fail to block the attack, but he also didn\'t even get the chance to counter.

In the darkness, Shūichi moved like a phantom, cutting down the Stone Ninjas one by one amidst their screams and cries of terror.

In no time, the entire Stone Ninja camp—both those under hypnosis and those awake—was slaughtered.

After collecting the corpses of three Jonin, Shūichi disappeared from the blood-soaked camp.

---

At the same time, the Sand Ninja sensed something was wrong and sent out their scouting hawks.

Soon, they arrived at the Stone Ninja camp, now littered with corpses, and exchanged confused glances.

After inspecting the scene, they found that all the deaths were caused by Wind Release techniques.

"It looks like reinforcements from the village!"

"It must be an elite Jonin squad!"

"What incredible Wind Release abilities!"

"Who could it be?"

The Sand Ninjas whispered among themselves.

The Sand Jonin discussed for a moment and concluded that reinforcements had been sent for a surprise attack.

This was good news for them—the overwhelming pressure they\'d been under instantly lifted, and they even planned to launch a counterattack the next day.

---

Meanwhile, Shūichi\'s shadow clone returned to the hideout, where the other clone took over. Using a similar strategy, the second clone infiltrated another Stone Ninja camp, slaughtering all the ninjas and taking a few more bodies.

Although these were just two small battlefields, the impact was enormous.

A gap appeared in the Stone Ninja\'s defenses, causing them to struggle the next day. Eventually, their battle lines collapsed, and they were forced to retreat.

On the third day, Shūichi noticed that Rasa had appeared on the battlefield. He immediately became cautious and stopped making any moves, instead transforming into a crow or vulture to silently observe the battlefield and his old rival, Rasa.

This guy had undergone a significant transformation. He had abandoned the powerful Iron Sand technique of the Third Kazekage and was now using a much heavier Gold Dust technique.

But in the Land of Wind, gold dust was indeed more suitable, providing better concealment in the desert.

Rasa led the Sand Ninjas in a fierce counterattack, inflicting heavy losses on the Stone Ninjas, forcing them to retreat again and again.

"Heroes are truly born of turbulent times," Shūichi mused as he watched, silently impressed.

...

In the Village Hidden in the Leaves, at the research base.

While studying the Eight-Tails, Shūichi heard Tsunade\'s voice and turned to look.

Standing at the door, Tsunade said, "The ANBU are looking for you!"

Shūichi nodded, left a shadow clone to continue the work, and headed out of the research base, where Shinnosuke was already waiting outside.

"Here, this is your Jōnin application form, Shūichi. Take it home, fill it out, and give it back to me," Shinnosuke handed Shūichi a form.

Jōnin?

Shūichi took the form and asked, "Captain, my mission count is still far from enough, right?"

To be promoted to Jōnin, aside from sufficient combat ability, one also needed a significant number of missions completed.

Even counting the medical missions from Konoha Hospital, he thought he still didn\'t qualify.

Shinnosuke smiled and said, "That\'s why you should take on more missions in the coming days!"

Hmm?

Shūichi sensed something unusual.

Is this preparation for the war that might break out soon?

Building up young prodigies to boost morale?

At that moment, Shinnosuke pulled out a scroll and opened it. "These missions are more suited for someone like you, Shūichi."

Shūichi glanced at the scroll—it was filled with intelligence-gathering missions.

Targets: Iwa-nin, Suna-nin.

Shūichi almost suspected that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had found out about his secret activities.

But after thinking it over, probably not.

Although Hiruzen had a bit of a voyeuristic tendency, it wouldn\'t go as far as spying on him while he slept.

These missions were likely assigned based on his abilities.

Stealth skills!

Understanding this, Shūichi nodded and said, "Got it!"

"By the way, should we intervene in the war between the Suna-nin and Iwa-nin?"

Shinnosuke was startled. "Intervene?"

"How?"

Shūichi smiled. "Of course, by intensifying the conflict, making them exhaust each other\'s strength."

"Even if they\'re bound to fight us in the future, it\'s better if their forces are as weakened as possible."

Hearing this, Shinnosuke was intrigued and said seriously, "I\'ll report this to Lord Third!"

Shūichi nodded and waved his hand as he turned to return to the research base.

Shinnosuke stood in thought for a moment before vanishing.

---

Hokage\'s Office.

After hearing his son\'s report, Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into deep thought. Moments later, he looked up and asked, "What do you think of this proposal?"

Shinnosuke replied honestly, "I completely agree with Shūichi\'s suggestion. While it carries some risk, the rewards far outweigh it."

"Based on the past Great Ninja War, it\'s only a matter of time before this war between the Suna-nin and Iwa-nin spills over to us."

"Weakening both sides now, regardless of whether the war eventually reaches the Land of Fire, would only be beneficial for us."

"This is an opportunity where the benefits outweigh the risks—it\'s entirely worth doing."

Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.

Shinnosuke hesitated for a moment before adding with a wry smile, "Also, given Shūichi\'s personality, with his strong dislike for the Iwa-nin and Suna-nin, he might already be doing something about it."

Hiruzen was momentarily taken aback before feeling a headache coming on.

Minato is better—he\'s a genius, but at least he doesn\'t cause trouble.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and now Shūichi—all excellent, but none were easy to manage.

Though Shūichi completed his missions well, his unpredictable nature was a cause for concern!

At that moment, Chihiro emerged from the ground. "Lord Third Hokage, intelligence from the Land of Rivers: Kirigakure has launched an attack on the southeastern border of the Land of Wind!"

Hiruzen\'s eyes sharpened. "They\'ve made their move!"

Without further hesitation, he instructed Shinno, "Let Shūichi handle it!"

"Understood!"

Shinnosuke nodded and disappeared.

---

Later that afternoon, on his way home from the research base, Shūichi ran into Shinnosuke again, immediately understanding that his proposal had likely been approved.

After conveying the Third Hokage\'s decision, Shinnosuke reminded him, "Focus on gathering intelligence. Don\'t take unnecessary risks."

Shūichi smiled. "Don\'t worry, Captain. You know me—I\'m very cautious."

Shinnosuke chuckled bitterly.

Cautious? Sure, but when things get crazy, no one could match him in recklessness!

"I\'m counting on you to attend my wedding with Chihiro!"

"And when we have a kid, I\'d like you to be their mentor!"

Shinnosuke couldn\'t help but admire him. "I don\'t think there\'s a better teacher of ninjutsu in all of Konoha than you."

Hearing this, Shūichi laughed. "Then it\'s settled!"

"But don\'t blame me when the time comes!"

With that, Shūichi disappeared.

Shinnosuke stood there scratching his head, wondering what exactly Shūichi meant by that last remark.

(End of Chapter)

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