The Futility of Copying

"Lady Sanshao, is it really necessary for me to oversee this kind of live-combat training?" Kagami Uchiha looked at the two lines of people standing on either side of the training ground, ready to begin their "spar," and finally couldn't help but complain to Sanshao.

Given his personality, such words were rarely spoken, but he had recently become the commander of the Western Front for Konoha. To counter the aggressive offensive of the Sand Village, he was about to head to the front lines. Yet, in this exceptionally busy time, he had been press-ganged by Sanshao to help supervise a training session for mere Genin.

Wasn't this a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

Battles between Genin could indeed lead to accidental injuries because they lacked control, but finding any random Chunin to prevent accidents would have sufficed. No matter how one looked at it, a busy man like Kagami Uchiha shouldn't have been the one called.

But since Sanshao had sought him out, the matter was not to be shirked or refused; it was just that... complaining was inevitable.

Sanshao glanced at Uchiha, showing no self-awareness for the trouble she had caused, nor did she pay any mind to his complaints. She simply said, "I heard you are heading to the Land of Rivers soon? The situation on the front lines changes in an instant, and the battles are exceptionally perilous... I didn't bring you here just to act as a referee, but to broaden your horizons. Battles between ninjas are treacherous and unpredictable, and like all Uchiha, you rely a bit too much on your eyes."

She said this so calmly, as if she hadn't just been surprised by Hanyu's performance moments ago.

The Land of Rivers was a nation sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. Before Kagami Uchiha headed there, Sanshao had specifically brought him over to let his Sharingan witness this incomprehensible situation.

"..." Kagami Uchiha didn't know where Sanshao was coming from. He turned his gaze toward the training ground, thinking only of ending this session quickly so he could return to his own affairs.

As one of the two parties in the live-combat training, Hanyu was far more surprised by his opponents than by the arrival of Kagami Uchiha... He had never imagined that his sparring partners would be these three.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—as the future legendary Legendary Sannin, Hanyu could recognize their identities without any introduction, and it was far easier than recognizing Hatake Sakumo earlier.

However, facing these three, Hanyu felt neither caution nor honor, but rather... a mix of laughter and tears.

Yes, the future Sannin were indeed top-tier ninjas, but the three in front of him... were just a bit too small.

What kind of live-combat training was it to beat up children?

At this moment, the three of them had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy, and their graduation age wasn't like the later years; it was barely equivalent to the later enrollment age... which meant the three of them were certainly no older than seven.

Tsunade had inherited her grandfather's gambling addiction at three, Jiraiya had long been fond of patrolling the red-light district, and Orochimaru had just become an orphan, beginning his descent into extremism. One could already see the shadows of their future selves in these traits, but the problem was that they were just too young.

They even looked a bit cute.

Actually, if they were just a little older, even if they were only like Hatake Sakumo, Hanyu wouldn't have these thoughts... Unlike the "Sannin," the "White Fang" at this age was already a ninja who had walked out of the life-and-death struggles of the battlefield.

The strongest of the Sannin was currently the weakest. Orochimaru was selfish and extreme, Tsunade lacked resolve and was nearly cowardly—whether by tragedy or luck, only Jiraiya consistently embodied the education he received, being the thorough and typical "Konoha Ninja" everyone hoped he would become, yet... he was currently just a goofball.

Hanyu turned his gaze to Sanshao, intending to confirm once more if these children were truly the opponents for the combat test. It wouldn't be good if they got hurt. This wasn't Hanyu being confident or boasting; it was just that he had no way to control the power of the new combat style he had been exploring.

Sanshao nodded, meaning that they were indeed the ones.

"Everyone (little lab rats), I'm going all out next... the fight will probably be over in an instant." Having no choice, Hanyu turned to the three of them and said.

At this moment, the two sides were standing about 20 meters apart. Under normal circumstances, this was the standard distance for ninjas to begin preparing attacks during an encounter, excluding assassinations.

Of course, this was only training, not a real battle; otherwise, Hanyu certainly wouldn't use the following attack method... On a real battlefield, that approach would be no different from suicide.

"Did you hear that? He said he's going all out. Maybe he's a Fire Style user," Jiraiya analyzed, gathering intelligence from Hanyu's words.

This made Orochimaru silently step to the side, looking as if he feared his own IQ might be lowered by proximity.

There was no extra communication between the two sides. Hanyu flexed his fingers, waiting for the command to start the training.

"Listen up, both sides prepare..."

Soon, the voice of Kagami Uchiha came from outside the field.

"Begin!"

Almost as the words fell, the three of Jiraiya instantly shed their previous relaxed or lazy demeanor. They charged directly at Hanyu at high speed from the left, center, and right.

Orochimaru was in the center, Jiraiya on the left, and Tsunade on the far right. Whether in speed or coordination, it was hard to believe they were children who had just walked out of the Ninja Academy... The Third Hokage and these three were truly worthy of being called a master and his brilliant students.

Hanyu retreated rapidly upon hearing the start command. Even though his opponents were much younger than him, he did not have a shred of carelessness once the battle began. Facing three against one, he could not afford to get caught in a melee, or he would immediately fall into an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position.

If nothing else, what if Orochimaru and Jiraiya pinned him down, and then Tsunade landed a punch? Who knew how strong her wrist strength was right now.

Therefore, close-quarters combat was the least advisable option.

Hanyu's feet were retreating, but his hands were on the offensive. Before the three of them could get close, the hand seals in his hands were already complete.

"Scatter, it's a Water Dragon Bullet!"

When he saw the surging torrent spiraling toward them, Orochimaru immediately made this judgment. As long as one had a functioning brain, no one would ever try to take the head-on impact of such a ninjutsu.

The direct target of the Water Dragon Bullet was Orochimaru, who was charging in the center. He immediately dodged to the right toward Tsunade, and the Water Dragon Bullet struck the spot where he had just been.

The opponent's formation was cut apart. Accompanied by a loud roar and violent tremors, the Water Dragon Bullet lost its form upon hitting the ground, and countless streams of water scattered in all directions.

Having dodged the attack, just as the three were preparing to adjust their posture and charge again, something no one expected happened: from the flowing water of the Water Dragon Bullet, three of Hanyu's clones rushed out.

Water Style: Water Clone Technique—everyone knew this jutsu, but... why could a Water Clone hide inside a Water Dragon Bullet?

What about the seals? When were the seals performed?

The three had no time to think about the details and could only desperately block the sudden assault.

The crisp sounds of kunai clashing rang out continuously. At the same time, the exploding water turned into a sky full of mist, obscuring everything on the training ground. The visual connection between Jiraiya and the others was thus severed.

"Is it the Hidden Mist Technique?"

"No, it's Fire Style!"

When the heat wave hit, they finally understood: the mist on the field was the Water Style being evaporated by Fire Style.

Setting aside the three of them in the tense battle, Kagami Uchiha, who was watching from the sidelines, felt that something was wrong. His three-tomoe Sharingan was wide open, staring fixedly at Hanyu's hands as they formed seals. However, the Sharingan, famous for its insight and ability to copy, simply couldn't understand the chaotic mess Hanyu was doing with his hands.

"What... is this?" he couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

If Hanyu could hear his question, he would certainly answer like this—this tactic of unleashing all one's armaments within the shortest possible time, constantly compressed, was called a Saturation Ninjutsu Attack.