The people or forces involved behind the scenes were the key.
"What I need you to do is find out who is behind this... if possible..."
A sharp light flashed in Danzo's eyes.
Akira Sarutobi understood.
Killing the mastermind was the ultimate objective.
"Understood."
Seeing Akira Sarutobi accept the mission so decisively, without even asking what to do if the mastermind held a high position of power, Danzo was quite satisfied.
In his view, Anbu ninja... true ninja had to possess that kind of resolve.
Investigation, ambushes, and assassinating important figures had always been the Anbu's main theme.
If they hesitated just because the other party held a high position, then the Anbu would lose its reason for existing.
"I'll send someone to contact you..."
Danzo gave him the specific meeting location. Once they arrived, someone would naturally make contact.
"Now I am certain that the Anbu is indeed where you belong..."
Danzo rose to his feet.
"Anbu assessment missions are usually carried out in teams of two. As it happens... you and Ino Yamanaka can act together this time... Go..."
A moment later, Akira Sarutobi, having received his Anbu assessment mission, left the dark Anbu office together with Ino Yamanaka.
The two immediately set off for the eastern coast of the Land of Fire.
Because of their previous mission to the Land of Whirlpools, this counted as their second trip, and they knew the route well.
Only after they left Konoha did Ino Yamanaka speak. "Young Master, I have a feeling there's something suspicious about this mission..."
"Anbu missions are usually things that cannot see the light of day."
Akira Sarutobi nodded.
"Many common rules that apply in public do not apply to the Anbu."
A new world was beckoning to him.
No... Akira Sarutobi, who had long grown accustomed to the warmth and coldness of human relationships in his previous life, did not think any truly new world awaited him.
The light and darkness of human nature applied in every world.
"It'll take two days to reach our destination... We'll have two opportunities to rest."
The scroll Orochimaru had given him made Akira Sarutobi eager to try it out.
He could use their breaks to practice this taijutsu, improve his strength, and raise the success rate of the assessment mission.
"Who could the mastermind be?" Ino Yamanaka muttered.
Within the Land of Fire, aside from Konoha, that violent ninja organization, there was also an independent ninja squad loyal to the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire.
"I hope it isn't those people..."
Akira Sarutobi shook his head and quickened his pace.
New Power: Powerful Taijutsu
Beneath the brilliant starry sky.
A small campfire flickered softly.
Akira Sarutobi raised his head and gazed blankly at the stars.
Ten hours had passed since they left the village.
After running continuously for so long, even ninja needed rest.
Ever since coming to this world, Akira Sarutobi had struggled constantly between life and death. Only in moments like this did he have the leisure to observe the stars.
Tonight's moon was as large as a disk.
The palm-sized moon gave him an unreal feeling.
The moon in this world was completely different from the one in his previous life.
"The moon in my previous life was three hundred thousand kilometers from Earth... Judging by its size, the moon in this world is probably only one hundred thousand kilometers away, perhaps even closer..."
He shook his head and dispelled the brief unease in his heart.
Steeling himself once more, Akira Sarutobi walked to one side and assumed a stance.
He recalled the taijutsu recorded in the scroll Orochimaru had given him.
According to the official guidebook, the Book of Battle, when this taijutsu was trained to its peak, even Choji, whose body had grown as huge as a mountain, could be sent flying.
It was a taijutsu that unleashed overwhelming violence through astonishing physical strength, like an enraged asura.
A body tempered through countless trials was itself a weapon for knocking down and crushing enemies.
Of course, this taijutsu was not merely brute force. It also contained all sorts of versatile techniques. Based on the degree of destructive power and the situation at hand, it was divided into six forms.
They were... Rising Knee, Shoulder Charge, Crushing Palm, Rising Strike Palm, Pressing Palm, and Rock Smash.
If used in conjunction with Jirobō's Cursed Seal: State Two or the Sarutobi Clan's Innate Divine Strength, it could achieve a one-hit kill.
"Haa..."
Letting out a breath of stale air, Akira Sarutobi began practicing the taijutsu after reviewing it all.
With his clever mind and photographic memory, images of every movement appeared before Akira Sarutobi's eyes.
"Crushing Palm!"
His five fingers curled into claws as he fiercely struck forward.
With a bang, the air exploded and trembled.
This move could be used at point-blank range or to strike force through the air.
Its range was inferior to the Hyuga Clan's Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and it was not as quick to execute as the Vacuum Palm.
But it made up for that with sheer violence.
In the original story, Jirobō had used this move to block Choji's Spiked Human Bullet Tank without taking any damage.
"Pressing Palm!"
Akira Sarutobi lowered his body, shifted his right hand, and slammed it down.
A thunderous boom rang out. The ground instantly burst apart, spiderweb cracks spreading outward before it finally collapsed with a crash.
This move could be used to finish off a wounded enemy or viciously slam an opponent into the ground.
"Rising Knee!"
Akira Sarutobi sharply raised his knee, making the air howl.
This move resembled a Muay Thai knee strike.
It could fully unleash the power of the lower body, concentrating all strength in the legs at a single point. It was an extremely powerful killing technique.
"Rising Strike Palm!"
His body rotated slightly as his arm struck upward, rising over his head.
This move was like a rising dragon punch from a fighting game.
It used the body's rotational force to unite the entire body as one and cast off the restraints around it.
All martial arts came from the rising dragon; when in doubt, use the rising dragon.
This was not merely an anti-air technique. It was also a universal move capable of breaking one free from one's own predicament.
"Shoulder Charge!"
Akira Sarutobi pressed his arm against his side and drove forward with his shoulder, resembling the Iron Mountain Lean of ancient martial arts.
Jirobō had used this move to send Choji flying with a single blow.
It also resembled a famous move from his previous life. Because it was flashy and powerful, it was also nicknamed Ji Ni Tai Mei.
"Rock Smash!"
A series of crackling pops rang out from every bone in Akira Sarutobi's body.
He unleashed the final move of this taijutsu, the only one capable of linking all the previous moves together and training every part of the body.
This move could gather the power of every muscle and all of his Chakra to unleash an unimaginable strike.
In principle, it resembled Tsunade's monstrous strength, but unlike her method of relying solely on Chakra, this move was different.
It also drew upon the physical body, making it a hybrid technique.
Its most powerful strike was unleashed.
The air boomed as though thunder had exploded from the flat ground.
Its unmatched force came from merely swinging at empty air. A single, back-to-basics, utterly straightforward punch unleashed unimaginable might.
"Is this the taijutsu Lord Orochimaru gave the Young Master?"
Ino Yamanaka sat beside the campfire, watching her young master's training with curiosity.
The power of the techniques before her surpassed every taijutsu she knew.
Bang after bang echoed through the air.
Watching her young master train tirelessly, drenched in sweat, Ino Yamanaka felt sincere admiration rise in her heart.
Her exceptional sensory ability allowed her to clearly feel Akira Sarutobi's body radiating endless Chakra heat like a furnace burning at full force, growing stronger in the process.
With the aptitude of a Jonin, combined with the Sarutobi Clan's bloodline.
Akira Sarutobi could train for extended periods.
He would not end up exhausted after practicing for only a short while as he had during his days at the Ninja Academy or as a Genin.
This unprecedented secret taijutsu brought unprecedented growth.
Akira Sarutobi could feel his Chakra increasing, while every muscle in his body was continuously strengthened.
An hour later...
Ino Yamanaka began to feel sleepy.
Two hours later...
Ino Yamanaka reminded her young master that it was time to rest. But Akira Sarutobi did not hear a word, completely immersed in the world of training.
Under the night vision of his right eye, the intensity of his own Chakra's radiated glow was rapidly increasing.
This visible growth deeply fascinated Akira Sarutobi.
Three hours later...
Akira Sarutobi had roughly mastered this taijutsu. Every movement was incomparably precise, as though he had practiced them tens of thousands of times.
Four hours later...
Boom!
A thunderous sound exploded across the nighttime plains.
It was the sound caused by Akira Sarutobi swinging his fist through the air.
Boom boom boom...!!
Another series of sounds followed.
Akira Sarutobi took a step forward. He had merely stepped, yet the ground shook.
The rocks beneath his feet, which had long been exposed, shattered and shot outward.
After a cloud of dust rose, Ino Yamanaka began coughing from the choking dust. She hurriedly shouted, "Stop... Young Master... please restrain your divine powers..."
"Haa..."
Before you continue