The Forest Shrouded in Cloud Mist

"Cloud Release: Flowing Cloud Flying Bird Technique."

Torifu exhaled a stream of cloud qi, which slowly gathered into dozens of little white cloud birds that circled and fluttered above his head.

He reached out and touched one of the birds. It felt a little cool, which was pretty nice.

Torifu took out an equal number of upgraded Crystal Seeds and tossed them precisely into the cloud birds.

Then he controlled the birds and sent them flying in all directions.

Once each bird reached a suitable spot, it swooped down and tucked a Crystal Seed into the soil. Its task complete, it immediately dissolved and disappeared.

After releasing the cloud bird technique several times in a row, Crystal Flowers had bloomed across half the forest.

To avoid being discovered, Torifu had deliberately chosen relatively secluded spots. That way, the flowers could still be used in the future as long as they weren't destroyed.

The flowers emitted cloud mist, allowing Torifu to sense everyone inside it. It was like setting up a barrier to protect the village beyond its walls.

An hour had passed since Torifu left the village. At this rate, it would take only another hour to plant seeds throughout the forest surrounding Konoha.

Fortunately, Torifu had a habit of preparing plenty of seeds in advance. Otherwise, after releasing so many techniques in succession, he really might have run short on Chakra.

Nearly another hour passed, and at last, he had planted seeds throughout the entire forest!

Torifu then released a technique to spur the seeds' growth and used the Crystal Connection Technique to link all the Crystal Flowers.

With all that done, Torifu could finally relax a little.

Torifu was quite confident in his techniques. Once his Chakra had recovered a bit, he could use the Cloud Mist Sensing Technique to spread mist throughout the entire forest!

Even Madara Uchiha wouldn't be able to escape detection in the mist. After all, Madara's Chakra was so immense!

Besides, Madara Uchiha wasn't the sort to hide his Chakra and launch a sneak attack. As long as Torifu learned his location right away, they could deal with him.

Torifu swiped a hand across his forehead, though there wasn't a drop of sweat there, and let out a soft breath. "Konoha's doomed without me."

"Cloud Release: Cloud Mist Sensing Technique."

In an instant, a huge amount of Chakra drained from his body. Exhaustion washed over him, and even his eyelids felt heavy.

Torifu's breathing grew labored. Clearly, a technique that encircled the entire forest around Konoha had taken a great deal out of him.

Fortunately, it was only ordinary cloud mist, so it hadn't drained all his Chakra in one go.

And there was already a light haze in the forest that morning, which was why Torifu had dared to use a technique with such a wide range.

The so-called Cloud Mist Sensing Technique was really just ordinary mist. Torifu had only given it that name because it sounded more impressive.

Thick clouds of mist began pouring from the Crystal Flowers, instantly blending with the morning fog.

Before long, the mist had spread throughout the forest. If someone wandered in by accident, they would have a hard time finding their way out.

Still, there was no need to worry. Torifu was constantly sensing everything, so that wouldn't happen.

As the mist grew thicker and thicker, Torifu stretched and decided to return to the village to tell his teacher or Lord Tobirama what he had done.

Otherwise, they might mistake it for an enemy attack.

When Torifu returned to Konoha, the shinobi in the village had indeed noticed the unnatural mist in the forest beyond its walls.

They were all on high alert, but after Torifu explained what was going on, they finally relaxed.

Even so, some of them still couldn't understand why he had gone to so much trouble. Was anyone really bold enough to invade Konoha?

Torifu only smiled and said nothing. He was afraid he might scare them to death—or be taken for a lunatic.

After all, who would believe that Madara Uchiha was going to attack Konoha today?

Even when Hashirama heard that Madara Uchiha had appeared in the village, his first reaction would be happiness, not concern that Madara might attack it.

Torifu didn't linger to chat with the other shinobi. He headed straight for the Hokage Office.

At this hour, even if his teacher hadn't gotten up yet and was still sleeping in, Lord Tobirama would certainly be awake. They were both about the same, so either one would do.

After all, in the hearts of the village's shinobi, there was no doubt that Senju Tobirama would be the Second Hokage.

Torifu moved quickly. Before long, he reached the Hokage Office and knocked lightly on the door. A voice inside called for him to come in.

"Teacher, Lord Tobirama, I have something to report." Torifu bowed to the two men and explained why he had come.

"Oh? What brings you here so early? Let's hear it," Tobirama asked with interest.

Torifu often came up with all sorts of strange ideas and developed techniques Tobirama would never have thought of, so Tobirama was very fond of him.

He thought it was a waste for a genius shinobi like Torifu to spend every day learning Taijutsu from his Big Brother, and he was always trying to find a way to steal the apprentice away from him!

"This morning, when I was in the forest outside the village..."

Torifu gave Hashirama and Tobirama a detailed account of what he had done in the forest that morning, but didn't say it was to deal with Madara Uchiha.

He only said it was to strengthen the village's defenses. If any shinobi came from outside, he would be able to sense them immediately.

Unlike other techniques, mist didn't disperse easily in the forest, so the Cloud Mist Formation Torifu had set up could last a long time.

After Torifu explained the whole story, Hashirama and Tobirama understood.

"Good work, kid. I was just telling Big Brother that the commotion outside was probably you tinkering with another new technique. Turns out I was right."

The more Tobirama looked at Torifu, the more pleased he was. His own students were all talented and capable, and they worked well as a team.

But they were lacking when it came to developing techniques. Of them, only Hiruzen Sarutobi had any real talent for it.

The others were no good at all, and Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't compare to Torifu when it came to developing techniques.

That kid could come up with seven or eight new techniques in a year, while Hiruzen Sarutobi managed only one or two.

Tobirama had only one thought now: I could have endured the darkness, if I had never seen the light!

Before he discovered Torifu, Tobirama often told Hiruzen, "Monkey, you're the student I have the highest hopes for. Don't disappoint me!"

Now, the thing Tobirama said to Hiruzen Sarutobi most often was, "Look at Torifu, then look at yourself! He develops so many techniques in a year! You can't even squeeze one out in six months!"

All in all, Tobirama could find nothing he liked about Hiruzen now, while Torifu was like a treasure he couldn't wait to steal away from his Big Brother.

"Torifu, you did a wonderful job. This will make Konoha much safer. You must be exhausted after all that today, aren't you?"

Hashirama watched his apprentice with pride. At such a young age, he could already use a technique on such a vast scale. He truly was a genius!