Winds of Calamity

The Fuma Clan, including Fuma Kage, only possessed two jonin.

Moreover, those jonin titles were generous at best; in a real fight, they might not even be able to defeat a special jonin from Konoha.

There were also seven or eight chunin and a few dozen genin.

This level of strength was actually considered decent in the Land of Fields, so it was no wonder Orochimaru had made a trip there to deceive them.

Ninjas of the same rank from the Five Great Nations were generally a cut above those from smaller nations, and their reputation was guaranteed, which made it impossible for ninjas from small nations to develop or even secure missions.

Cultivating a ninja was expensive, and ninjutsu was not something you could find on every street corner.

After Fuma Kage declared his loyalty, Uchiha Sora gifted him a scroll containing the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.

A technique that even Uchiha children could access was treated like a priceless treasure by him, prompting another display of loyalty.

During the Warring States period, the ninjutsu of each clan was kept secret and never taught to outsiders, not even the most basic Three Body Technique.

It was Senju Tobirama who pioneered the master-disciple model.

Once the Uchiha established a firm footing in the Land of Whirlpools and recruited enough clans and civilians, Uchiha Sora planned to open a ninja academy.

Hating someone and learning from them were not mutually exclusive.

The four great nations all despised the treacherous Senju Tobirama, but no matter what system he proposed, they learned it faster than anyone else.

After arranging for the Fuma Clan to head to the Land of Whirlpools, Uchiha Sora and Shisui set off on their journey again.

"Are we not going back? The mission is already complete, isn't it?"

Shisui rested his head on his hands, "I miss Itachi a bit. I wonder how the little guy is doing and if he's gotten used to the new environment."

Uchiha Sora felt a bit conflicted regarding the handling of Uchiha Itachi.

Itachi and Shisui were as close as brothers, and Fugaku, who had made the right choice, was still useful, so he couldn't just execute Uchiha Itachi without cause.

Judging him for crimes that hadn't yet occurred felt inappropriate.

However...

The night of the clan massacre that was originally destined to happen remained a thorn in his side, and Uchiha Sora would not let it slide easily.

He was not a magnanimous person; to put it nicely, he was someone who would pay back every grievance—though "paying back every grievance" didn't sound like a very positive term either.

In short...

Since you love arranging your younger brother's life, I'll let you experience what it's like to have your own life manipulated.

I hope you, too, can make the right choice, just like Fugaku.

"I'll bring him along next time."

"The Fuma Clan alone wasn't worth me specifically calling for you."

"At this time... it should be about right."

He lowered his voice and said, "We are going to the Land of Wind to capture a Tailed Beast!"

!!

Shisui's pupils constricted sharply, and he exclaimed, "How is that possible with just us!"

"Your Rayquaza does have the power to contend with the Nine-Tails, but fighting and capturing are two different things. Besides, what would we use to seal such a monstrous natural disaster!"

"Capturing a Tailed Beast... we should at least call the clan head first!"

He had personally experienced the Night of the Nine-Tails; that power which transcended the common sense of ninjas was simply too terrifying!

"Don't assume all Tailed Beasts are as strong as the Nine-Tails."

Uchiha Sora glanced at him and said indifferently, "Except for the Nine-Tails and the Eight-Tails, it is not impossible for us to capture a Tailed Beast if we work together."

"As for the vessel... they should already be prepared."

The Fuma Clan was just a stop along the way; Uchiha Sora's true target was Gaara.

Tailed Beasts were vital strategic weapons. As for the fact that Konoha possessed a summoning beast comparable to a Tailed Beast due to the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Sora knew the reality of the situation well.

As the saying goes, if your enemy thinks you have weapons of mass destruction, you had better actually have them.

The easiest one to obtain was naturally the Seven-Tails of Takigakure, but Uchiha Sora was unsure of the current status of the Seven-Tails. If it hadn't been sealed into a jinchuriki yet, a flying Tailed Beast would be very difficult to deal with.

The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning were out of the question, as their jinchuriki already possessed significant combat power.

The waters of the Land of Water were too deep, and Uchiha Sora did not want to cross paths with Obito right now; Kamui was still too overpowered.

Looking at it from all angles, the most suitable target was Shukaku of the Land of Wind.

Sand Shukaku was strong enough; in Uchiha Sora's view, the One-Tail's strength ranked in the upper tier among the Tailed Beasts. If they were in the desert, even the Eight-Tails might not necessarily be able to defeat him.

Gaara was a qualified jinchuriki; even with such a crude seal, it was enough to ensure Shukaku didn't go on a rampage at will.

If it weren't for being saddled with a lunatic like Rasa, perhaps a reconciliation with the Tailed Beast could have been achieved even sooner.

Compared to that terrible family, little Gaara would surely prefer the love-filled Uchiha clan; Uchiha Sora felt not a shred of shame about kidnapping a child.

In a few years...

He could also look for someone like Kimimaro; in short, it was best to trust Orochimaru's standards for talent selection.

Shisui struggled with the thought for a moment, but ultimately chose to trust Uchiha Sora.

If he said it would work... then it probably would.

A few days later, the greenery of the mountains faded, and the two walked into a land of yellow sand.

The Land of Wind was the largest of the Five Great Nations, yet it had the least amount of usable land.

There was still a long way to go from the border to Sunagakure.

As they traveled, the two exchanged insights on ninjutsu; with the amplification from Ryuzuki, Uchiha Sora had managed to initially develop the Fire Style Chakra Mode.

This mode could significantly increase the attack power of Fire Style ninjutsu, while also providing a certain degree of boost to strength and speed.

The drawback of this mode was the loss of stealth; if one were on an infiltration mission, suddenly popping out like a giant fireball would be noticed by anyone.

However, killing all the witnesses could also be considered a perfect infiltration, so it wasn't much of a flaw.

Kanzaki Kaori was a ninjutsu developed for immediate combat.

At the time, facing the dense attacks of Mifune, he had thought of the Hyuga clan's Rotation.

The principle was to release a large amount of chakra from the body's tenketsu, then spin rapidly like a top to form an all-encompassing defense.

The Fire Style Chakra Mode already involved covering the body surface with chakra, so spinning around could indeed achieve something similar...

However, that was far too ugly.

Wasting a massive amount of chakra just to form a turtle shell?

That went completely against Uchiha Sora's aesthetic for ninjutsu.

So-called ninjutsu should be a killing art filled with the aesthetics of violence!

Kanzaki Kaori worked by using the rotational inertia of one's body and blade to erupt a massive amount of Fire Style chakra all at once, creating a highly destructive Fire Style technique centered on the user!

The first time he used this technique, Uchiha Sora could feel the burning sensation of flames rapidly piercing through every pore.

To complete it, one had to remain calm amidst the pain and regulate the frequency of chakra output.

In fact...

Just maintaining the Fire Style Chakra Mode caused one to perceive the pain of being consumed by fire.

The flames simply didn't harm the user's body, but that didn't mean the user couldn't feel the temperature of the fire.

Nor could he cut off the sense of pain, as pain played a significant role in combat.

After listening to Uchiha Sora's explanation, Shisui shook his head.

"That's too difficult. I'm afraid of pain; is there a simpler way?"

Uchiha Sora rubbed his chin and said in a deep voice, "I'll think about it later and come up with a simplified version that isn't so painful."

"How is your Yin Fire coming along?"

Shisui rolled his eyes. "It's only been a few days. I'm not a monster like you; I haven't even figured out the prototype yet."

"And regardless of how effective it is, I am definitely not calling it Yin Fire. It sounds terrible!"

After walking for a while, the two suddenly stopped in their tracks at the same time.

In the scorching wind and sand, there seemed to be a hint of coldness.

A slender figure in a black robe emerged from the sand, radiating an aura of dark calamity.

Looking at those two pairs of magnificent Sharingan, the pale-faced man smiled faintly.

"In front of those eyes, hiding has no meaning."

"A first meeting, isn't it, Sora-kun..."

"I am Orochimaru."