The Mage's Map Cannon

Before long, Senju Nawaki recovered as if nothing had happened; were it not for the blood-stained clothes nearby, no one would have been able to tell what had just transpired.

The Senju Clan members watching from the sidelines noticed something peculiar. "Isn't this what Lady Tsunade is studying? How does he know it?"

"It seems his relationship with Lady Tsunade is quite extraordinary."

Hearing the crowd's remarks, Shangguan Yue couldn't help but feel puzzled. Isn't this medical ninjutsu quite common? Why does the situation feel off?

He pushed his way through the crowd, finding the Senju clansmen a bit too enthusiastic for his comfort; as for how Senju Nawaki felt, he couldn't care less.

I need to get back quickly and master the Three Body Technique. That Substitution Technique from earlier was so cool—a real life-saving skill.

Watching Shangguan Yue disappear, Senju Nawaki stood up, refusing to admit defeat, and shouted, "I won't give up! Just you wait, I'm going to train right now!!!"

Senju Nawaki leaped between the branches and soon arrived at a secluded residence. "Knock, knock, knock."

"Who is it?"

"Teacher, it's me."

"Nawaki? Come in. Didn't you go home? Why have you returned?"

Orochimaru flicked his tongue, looking at Nawaki with a sinister smile.

"Teacher, I want to become stronger. I want to defeat that man!!!"

"I understand. What a yearning bond. Come with me."

Senju Nawaki followed Orochimaru toward the dim basement.

Shangguan Yue made his way to Tsunade's residence. Fortunately, it was Tsunade's place, which was considered forbidden ground within the Senju Clan compound, so no one usually came to disturb him.

Unable to wait, Shangguan Yue opened another scroll, which began by introducing hand seals.

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar.

The hand seals for the Clone Technique were: "Ram-Snake-Tiger," followed by a shout of "Hah," and the clone would manifest. The entire process took two seconds.

Shangguan Yue twisted his fingers. "Ram... Snake... Tiger... Hah!" Chakra surged accordingly. "Poof." "Hm? Why is there nothing?"

"...Did I fail?"

Refusing to accept it, Shangguan Yue continued to try.

"Poof."

"Poof."

"Poof."

"Forget it, one must accept their fate."

Shangguan Yue lay down on Tsunade's bed and focused his mind. "Enter."

The next second, he entered the control room of the Balance of God, and a log appeared before his eyes.

"Defeated Senju Nawaki, rating: Ordinary, obtained 1 challenge opportunity.

Defeated Senju Nawaki, rating: Excellent, obtained 3 gambling opportunities."

"Not bad. I have four opportunities now. It's a pity that everyone this month is just a trainee ninja; there's nothing worth challenging. Let's try the Ordinary mode first to test the waters.

But now that there are no bugs to exploit, I'll have to rely on my own strength from here on out. What a predicament."

"Select challenge target."

"Come on, Senju Nawaki."

"Selection successful."

Shangguan Yue arrived at the balance and looked at the Nawaki that appeared opposite him. He had a deadpan expression, completely emotionless. It surprised him that the balance tipped toward Nawaki.

"Battle start."

The next second, the two appeared on the Hokage Rock.

"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!"

A water dragon flew toward Shangguan Yue at quite a high speed, forcing him to retreat in a hurry.

"A sneak attack, really!"

Nawaki didn't speak, launching another water dragon bullet.

"Water Release: Water Consecutive Bullets Technique!"

Shangguan Yue had no choice but to dodge the barrage of water bullets coming his way.

Before he knew it, the ground beneath Shangguan Yue's feet had become a vast expanse of water. The entire rhythm of the fight was being controlled by Nawaki, and after Shangguan Yue dodged once more, Nawaki formed seals and slammed his hands onto the ground.

"Water Release: Earth Snake Technique!"

The surrounding puddles surged, transforming into water snakes that instantly lunged at Shangguan Yue. His escape routes were completely locked down by Nawaki, and even from above, water dragon bullets continued to rain down.

In the end, there were simply too many of them to fend off; Shangguan Yue was coiled by the water snakes, suffering bite wounds all over his body.

Before he could even think of a solution, he heard Nawaki shout, "Earth Style: Swamp Technique."

Shangguan Yue felt the ground beneath his feet turn soft, and he sank deep into the mire. "Damn it."

The next second, Nawaki finished his hand seals. "Water Style: Water Cutter Technique."

A thin line of water spat from Nawaki's mouth, sweeping horizontally toward Shangguan Yue.

A sense of impending death haunted Shangguan Yue's mind. "It's over."

Shangguan Yue felt his mind go blank, and then his entire body staggered and collapsed to his knees.

"Just now... did I die?"

Shangguan Yue looked around and found himself back in the control room; clearly, the challenge had ended, and he had failed.

"Haa, haa, haa... damn it."

Shangguan Yue gasped for air, swallowing hard; the sensation of facing death just now had been suffocating.

"I was careless. I didn't expect a copy with only combat instincts to be this strong.

This is only D+ rank, an elite genin, yet he can achieve area-of-effect damage like that. It's too broken.

Screw it, I'm going to be a mage too. I want to use area-of-effect attacks as well."

"Again!!! Start battle mode."

Stepping onto the dueling arena once more, he looked at the cold, stern Nawaki opposite him. This time, Shangguan Yue would no longer hold back.

"God Slayer: Full Power! Void Step: Explosive Flash: Draw-Sword Strike! Die, you bastard!!!"

White energy erupted from Shangguan Yue's entire body, and he was propelled forward like a cannonball, his clothes tearing apart.

In an instant, he arrived before Nawaki, slashed, sheathed his blade, and knelt on one knee, planting his sword into the ground.

"Battle victory."

"Obtained: C-rank ninjutsu, Water Style: Water Bullet."

The dueling arena shattered like a broken mirror and dissipated, and Shangguan Yue returned to the control room once again.

"Hm? My clothes, my body... they've recovered? Though my mental energy is quite depleted.

But this is... too much. Does this mean I can use suicidal moves in the future..."

At the thought of this, Shangguan Yue beamed with joy. He stood there for a long time, and seeing that the Balance of God gave him no prompts about fixing a bug, he finally let out a sigh of relief.