Who is the Greatest Among the Konoha 11

Higashino Makoto felt that his leading jonin was doing this on purpose—the moment to test the Will of Fire had arrived. He didn't know whether it was on some old man's orders or his own idea.

But it didn't matter. Only idiots who didn't plan for an escape route and lacked the strength to back it up would end up making choices. Makoto chose: I'll take it all.jpg.

Suddenly, from the ground beside Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki, two sharp wind blades shot out.

Each blade was only as wide as a palm, nearly transparent and invisible, their vague outlines only discernible through the distortion of the air.

They were incredibly sharp and extremely fast, slicing through Yugao Gekko's body in the blink of an eye.

With two "puff" sounds, Yugao Gekko's Shadow Clone was dispelled. Hayate and Yugao were freed, immediately grabbing their weapons and standing back-to-back to guard against another sneak attack.

"Teacher, only people without reinforcements face choices. Clearly, just like you, I have reinforcements too."

Admiration flickered in Yugao Gekko's eyes. "So you had two Shadow Clones hidden underground, waiting to strike? Your combat talent is truly excellent.

Of course, your chakra amount also amazes me. Even if Hayate and the others could think of such a move, they couldn't pull it off—their chakra reserves can't support this kind of battle plan."

It wasn't just them; any ninja with a low chakra amount couldn't use it.

Makoto had plenty of chakra, but he didn't like wasting it either. The reason he could do this was his freakish level of chakra control and his deep study of jutsu principles.

After two years of refinement, his Shadow Clones no longer split his chakra evenly. Instead, he invested just the right amount based on need.

For example, the clones that had launched the wind blades from underground only had enough power for one hit, automatically dispelling after the job was done.

Because no matter how much chakra a Shadow Clone used, the pain sent back to the original when it was destroyed was just as intense. He had to minimize the chance of a clone taking a fatal hit to avoid affecting himself.

Makoto gripped a Kunai, but his guard was focused on his own flank.

"Still want to continue, Teacher Yun Jian?"

"Puff!" The Yugao Gekko he was holding burst into white smoke—another Shadow Clone.

The real body slowly walked out from behind a big tree on the battlefield's flank. "That's enough. Your strength has met my requirements."

"Yeah, we did it!" Yugao Uzuki dropped her guard and jumped up in joy.

Hayate Gekko was happy too, but there was a hint of disappointment mixed in. His strength was far below his father's, yet his friend, a year younger, could fight on par with his father and even had reinforcements prepared to rescue them as hostages.

Yugao Gekko looked at the two. "You're celebrating too early. The battle plan was good, but your strength is too weak. From now on, double your training efforts.

What just happened is common in ninja battles. You don't want to become the leverage enemies use against your teammates in the future, do you?"

"Understood, Teacher."

"I'll work twice as hard, Teacher."

The two answered seriously. That's how it was for children in the shinobi world—once they became ninjas, one or two battles usually stripped away their naivety. Those who couldn't shake it off died.

Hayate felt this more deeply than Yugao. His teammate Amatsu was that kind of naive person, but luckily, he hadn't lost his life—just a leg.

Perhaps for kids who aspired to be ninjas, being crippled was more painful than death, and that pain would last a lifetime.

Yugao Gekko turned to Makoto. "That attack you launched from underground—it was a wind blade, right? A bit like Vacuum Wave, or the Wind Blade from the Sand Village.

But yours was more refined. Did you develop it yourself? Of course, jutsu are a ninja's secret. You don't have to say."

Wind Blade would later become the signature move of Baki, a Sand Village elite jonin—instantaneous release, no hand seals. Its claim to fame was killing a Konoha Special Jonin during the Chunin Exam.

Coincidentally, that Special Jonin's name was also Hayate Gekko!

Hayate Gekko: "???"

"There's nothing to hide, Teacher. I developed it while training in the Wind Release's Sharp Cut nature transformation. To improve killing efficiency, I spent time turning it into a seal-less jutsu.

It's more concealed, faster, and can be activated with one hand. Of course, it does a little damage to the finger cells, so pairing it with a fine ninja sword is ideal."

"Did you give it a good name? If not, I can—"

"Wind Release: Shadowless Sword!" Makoto answered quickly, cutting off Yugao Gekko's attempt to claim naming rights.

Many of Konoha's adult ninjas put on a serious front but still harbored a fair bit of chuunibyou inside. Minato Namikaze was a prime example.

"Shadowless Sword, huh? A fitting and simple name. You've already surpassed us adults in wind release development. The difficulty of practicing this jutsu must be at least A-rank."

Yugao Gekko sighed in admiration, then his expression turned serious. "Makoto, you know I need to report the team's intel to the Hokage honestly. If you don't want to disclose it, I can make an exception for you this once."

"Don't trouble yourself, Uncle Yun Jian. Just report it normally."

"Alright." Yugao Gekko smiled, looking at the three. "That's it for today. At 7 p.m., I'm treating you to barbecue. You know the place.

Now, go back and prepare your ninja tools. Tomorrow, you'll start missions as official ninjas. Dismissed."

With that, Yugao Gekko used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.

"Hey, Makoto, that move you just used—the one you've been developing—it was amazing! You blew up Uncle Yun Jian's Shadow Clone in an instant. But the name doesn't sound that cool."

As soon as the leading jonin left, Yugao Uzuki perked up.

"It's just a name. As long as it fits, why bother with the fuss?" Makoto said, then suddenly changed his tone. "If you want something that sounds cool, how about 'Innate Broken Body Formless Sword Qi'? Or 'Super Ultimate Moonlit Infinite Combo Cold Light Slash Style One'?"

"Uh, those sound okay, but aren't they too long? And what does Hayate have to do with it? Forget it, let's just stick with Shadowless Sword. The point is, I want to learn it—teach me now!"

Jutsu were every ninja's secret, rarely passed on even to disciples. But the three had grown up together, so familiar with each other that such taboos didn't exist.

"Haven't I taught you already? Just do this and you'll meet the basic requirement." Higashino Makoto said, picking up a small pebble from the ground and pinching it between his fingers. Wind Release Chakra surged, and the stone was instantly ground into powder.

Uzuki Yugao: "..."

Hayate Gekko: "That requirement, huh? Don't worry, Makoto, I'll work hard to meet it."

"Good, keep it up. Are you two going to restock on ninja tools?"

Gekko: "I still have some at home, no need for now."

Yugao: "Same here."

"I used mine up during training, so I need to buy some. See you tonight."

It was evening. After parting ways, Higashino Makoto quickly arrived at the Ninja Tool Shop near his home. The shop was just one street away, and the quality was excellent. Since Makoto consumed a lot of ninja tools during training, he was a regular here.

"Sister Lingyin, long time no see. You're working today? Where's Brother Tieyan?"

During the war, most ninja were on the Frontline, and ninja tools were purchased and distributed by the village in bulk, so the shop had no customers—only a young woman holding a baby in her arms.

"Makoto, long time no see. Tieyan? He's at the forge. What do you need today?"

"Just this!" Makoto handed her a list and glanced at the baby in her arms. It was tiny, only a few days old.

"Is this yours and Brother Tieyan's child? So cute. Is it a Boy or a Girl? Have you picked a name yet?"

Lingyin smiled as she gathered the items. "She's a Girl. Her name is Tenten."

"Tenten? Huh, Tenten?"

"Yeah, is there a problem?"

"No, not at all. It's a lovely name."

Makoto looked at Lingyin's hair, tied into two buns. Wasn't this just a grown-up version of Tenten? He hadn't expected to run into one of the Konoha 11 so soon.

So Tenten was the oldest of the Konoha 11—at least in terms of age.

But then again, calling her one of the Konoha 11, was Tenten really that strong?

Not at all. The more he thought about it, the more it stung.