Copying Was Useless

"Sanshao-sama, is it really necessary for me to supervise this kind of live-combat training?" Kagami Uchiha looked at the two groups standing opposite each other on the training ground, ready to begin their "battle," and finally couldn't hold back any longer. He voiced his complaint to Sanshao.

Given his personality, it was extremely unusual for him to say something like that. But he was now Konoha's commander on the western front and was about to head to the front lines to counter Sand Village's fierce offensive. At a time when he was exceptionally busy, Sanshao had nevertheless roped him into supervising a live-combat exercise for Genin.

Did she really think his time was worth nothing?

Fights between Genin could indeed lead to accidental injuries, since they often couldn't control their strength. But any Chunin could be asked to prevent an accident. However he looked at it, there was no reason to call on someone as busy as Kagami Uchiha.

But since Sanshao had asked him, he couldn't refuse or shirk the task. Still... he couldn't help complaining.

Sanshao glanced at Kagami Uchiha, showing no sign that she realized she'd caused him trouble. Ignoring his complaint, she simply said, "I heard you're leaving for the Land of Rivers soon. The situation on the front lines can change in an instant, and battles are exceptionally dangerous... I didn't call you here just to act as a referee. I also wanted you to broaden your perspective. Battles between ninjas are full of twists and turns, and you, like all Uchiha, trust your eyes a little too much."

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

The Land of Rivers lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. Before Kagami Uchiha headed there, Sanshao had gone out of her way to bring him here so his Sharingan could witness something it couldn't make sense of.

"..." Kagami Uchiha had no idea what she meant. He turned his gaze toward the training ground, hoping the exercise would end quickly so he could get back to his own work.

Hanyu, one of the two sides taking part in the live-combat exercise, was even more surprised by his opponents than Kagami Uchiha's arrival... He'd never imagined that these three would be his opponents.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—the future Konoha Sannin—needed no introduction. Hanyu recognized them at once, far more easily than he had recognized Hatake Sakumo earlier.

But facing the three of them, Hanyu didn't feel cautious or honored. Instead... he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Yes, the Sannin would become exceptionally powerful ninjas. But these three in front of him... weren't they a little too tiny?

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

At this point, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy. They hadn't graduated at the age they would in later years—in fact, they were about the same age as students would be when they entered the Academy. In other words, none of them could be older than seven.

Tsunade had inherited her grandfather's gambling addiction at the age of three, Jiraiya already liked patrolling the pleasure district, and Orochimaru had just become an orphan and begun down the path toward extremism. Their personalities already hinted at who they would become, but the problem was that they were simply too young.

They even looked kind of adorable.

They didn't need to be much older. Even if they were only Hatake Sakumo's age, Hanyu wouldn't be thinking this way... Unlike the Sannin, the White Fang had already become a ninja who'd survived life-and-death battles on the front lines.

The strongest of the Sannin was now the weakest of the three. Orochimaru was self-centered and extreme, while Tsunade lacked resolve and was almost timid. Whether tragically or luckily, only Jiraiya had stayed true to the lessons he'd been taught. He was the complete, archetypal "Konoha Ninja" everyone hoped he would become. But... right now, he was just a goofball.

Hanyu turned to Sanshao, silently asking her to confirm once more: were these really the opponents for his combat test? It would be bad if he injured them. He wasn't being overconfident or bragging; he simply couldn't control the power of the new combat style he'd been working on.

Sanshao nodded, confirming that yes, these were definitely his opponents.

"Everyone, I'm going all out now... The fight will probably be over in an instant." With no other choice, Hanyu turned to the three of them and said this.

The two sides stood about twenty meters apart, a typical distance for ninjas preparing to attack when they encountered each other—unless they were carrying out an assassination.

Of course, this was only a training exercise, not an actual battle. Otherwise, Hanyu would never use the attack he was about to unleash... On a real battlefield, it would be no different from suicide.

"Did you hear that? He said he's going all out. Maybe he's a Fire Release ninja," Jiraiya analyzed, drawing on what Hanyu had said.

Orochimaru silently edged a step away, as if afraid Jiraiya's stupidity might rub off on him.

Neither side had much else to say. Hanyu flexed his fingers and waited for the signal to begin.

"Listen up. Both sides, get ready..."

Soon, Kagami Uchiha's voice rang out from the sidelines.

"Begin!"

Almost the instant the word left his mouth, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade shed their earlier relaxed or lazy demeanors. They charged straight at Hanyu from three directions: left, center, and right, moving at tremendous speed.

Orochimaru was in the center, Jiraiya on the left, and Tsunade on the far right. Their speed and coordination made it hard to believe they'd only just graduated from the Ninja Academy... The Third Hokage and these three really deserved to be called outstanding students of a renowned teacher.

As soon as he heard the signal, Hanyu quickly retreated. Even though his opponents were much younger than he was, he didn't let his guard down for a moment. He couldn't afford to get drawn into a prolonged fight against three opponents; if he did, he'd immediately be at a crushing disadvantage.

Just imagine: what if they had Orochimaru and Jiraiya tie him up, then let Tsunade land a punch? Who knew how strong her arms were already?

That was why close combat was the worst option.

Hanyu's feet carried him backward, but his hands were attacking. Before the three of them had closed much distance, he'd already finished forming the Hand Seals.

"Spread out! It's a Water Dragon Bullet!"

The moment he saw the surging torrent twist into a dragon and hurtle toward them, Orochimaru immediately made the call. Anyone in their right mind would avoid taking the full force of a technique like that head-on.

The Water Dragon Bullet was aimed directly at Orochimaru, who was charging down the middle. He immediately dodged to the right, toward Tsunade, and the Water Dragon Bullet slammed into the spot where he'd just been.

Their formation was split apart. With a deafening crash and a violent tremor, the Water Dragon Bullet struck the ground and lost its shape, sending countless streams of water rushing in every direction.

They dodged the attack and were preparing to reposition and charge again when something none of them expected happened: three of Hanyu's clones burst out of the water from the Water Dragon Bullet.

Water Release: Water Clone Technique. Everyone knew the technique, but... how could water clones hide inside a Water Dragon Bullet?

The Hand Seals—when had he formed them?

The three of them had no time to think about the details. They could only hurriedly fend off the sudden attack.

The crisp clanging of kunai rang out again and again. At the same time, the splashing water burst into a dense mist that shrouded the training ground, cutting off Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade's lines of sight.

"Is it the Hidden Mist Technique?"

"No, it's Fire Release!"

Only when the heat swept over them did they understand: Fire Release had steamed the Water Release techniques, filling the field with mist.

The three of them were locked in a tense battle, but Kagami Uchiha, watching from the sidelines, felt as if something had gone terribly wrong. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan was wide open, fixed on Hanyu's hands as he formed Hand Seals. Yet the Sharingan, renowned for its perception and ability to copy techniques, couldn't make heads or tails of the incomprehensible mess Hanyu was doing with his hands.

"What... is this supposed to be?" he couldn't help asking under his breath.

If Hanyu could hear his question, he'd surely answer: This tactic—unleashing every weapon in my arsenal within the shortest possible window, compressed down to the absolute limit—is called Saturation Ninjutsu Attack.