An Unexpected Reward!

Without him realizing it, the moment he heard he could obtain a jutsu recorded in the Scroll of Seals, Kawaki Aoba began shouting in his heart.

The Flying Thunder God Technique, the Spirit Transformation Technique, and Impure World Reincarnation!

Those were the three jutsu Kawaki Aoba most longed to obtain: one allowed instant teleportation, one let the soul leave the body, and one toyed with life and death.

If he could get his hands on something good by offering these three as sacrifices, then even if he didn't take off immediately, he'd definitely be able to make waves in the Shinobi World.

But he also knew very well that as long as Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't an idiot, he absolutely wouldn't hand over the Flying Thunder God Technique or the Spirit Transformation Technique to him now. The latter, Impure World Reincarnation, was an even greater taboo. He could forget about that one.

Sure enough, after giving it some thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already chosen the jutsu he felt was best suited to Kawaki Aoba.

"Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. It's a genjutsu developed by my teacher, the Second Hokage. Although it's an A-rank jutsu to learn, its effects can rival those of an S-rank jutsu in certain situations. It was one of the several jutsu my teacher was most proud of developing."

"Uh, thank you, Lord Hokage." Kawaki Aoba bowed respectfully, but in his heart he felt somewhat disappointed by the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, and he also felt like complaining.

Was he really serious about giving him a jutsu that plunged his enemies' vision into darkness?

Was Sarutobi Hiruzen hoping he'd blind his opponents in battle, then defeat them with his own wealth of experience?

And when he said this jutsu could rival an S-rank jutsu in certain situations, did he mean against the Uchiha Clan? That would explain why the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was one of Senju Tobirama's proudest creations.

After thanking the Hokage again, there was nothing more to discuss. The four members of the team left and headed to the Yuhi Residence.

Although this mission abroad had been brief, they'd encountered far too many unexpected events. The team needed time to process everything.

Not long after they left, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Shimura Danzō were each summoned by the Anbu and arrived at the Hokage Building to meet Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Hiruzen, you called us here at a time like this. Has Sunagakure made another move?" Danzō arrived last, but was the first to speak.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gestured for Danzō to sit, then picked up his pipe before speaking. "More or less. This is information brought back by a team I sent on a mission to the Land of Wind. Sunagakure's genius shinobi, Sasori of the Red Sand, has defected from the village. He assassinated the Third Kazekage and turned him into a Human Puppet."

"What? The Third Kazekage was assassinated? Hiruzen, is this information reliable?" Mitokado Homura cried out in shock and disbelief.

"The source is absolutely reliable. Moreover, Sunagakure's recent movements happen to confirm that this information is true. I called you here to let you know we should prepare for the worst."

"The worst? Hiruzen, do you mean Sunagakure might launch a large-scale war against us?" Utatane Koharu frowned, worry showing on her face.

"Hmph. It's only Sunagakure. If they dare provoke Konoha, I'll personally lead a force to the front lines and wipe them out." Only Shimura Danzō would say something like that. When he finished, he stared straight at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, they're the ones provoking us this time. You have no reason to stop me now, do you?"

Looking at his old comrade, Sarutobi Hiruzen waved a hand. "Danzō, sit down and hear me out first. If it were only Sunagakure, I wouldn't be worried at all. But I called you here because there's something bigger I need to discuss with you: the possibility of the Third Shinobi World War breaking out."

At Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, all three of them, Danzō included, felt their hearts jolt.

"The Third Shinobi World War? Hiruzen, do you know what you're saying? How long has it been since the Second Shinobi World War?" Mitokado Homura stared straight at Sarutobi Hiruzen, hoping he'd give them an answer.

The other two were just as intent on hearing his response.

A heated discussion about whether the Third Shinobi World War might break out began in the Hokage Office.

Meanwhile, two figures were engaged in a fierce clash at the Yuhi Residence.

Thud, thud, thud...

The sounds of bodies colliding rang out in an unbroken series. It was a Taijutsu match, though the occasional cry of pain could also be heard.

Shave!

Finger Pistol!

Kawaki Aoba unleashed two powerful techniques from the Six Powers in succession. Chakra poured from his body as his figure blurred into afterimages across the courtyard. Kurenai and Asuma, watching from the sidelines, couldn't make out his movements at all.

But Yuhi Shinku, his target, didn't even let Kawaki Aoba touch the hem of his clothes.

"Do you see, Aoba? This is your current weakness. No matter how powerful your self-created Taijutsu is, it's useless if you can't hit your opponent. And this strange Body Flicker of yours is enough against ordinary Chunin, but against a Jonin, it'll be difficult to hurt them unless you catch them by surprise."

Just one sparring match had shown Kawaki Aoba how lucky he'd been to seriously injure that Elite Jonin last time. His success had relied entirely on catching his opponent off guard. In a head-on fight, as long as a Jonin didn't let their guard down, the chances of him landing a direct hit would be almost zero.

"All right, Aoba. You've practiced enough for now, and you should have a good idea of a Jonin's reaction speed. Next, your teacher is going to get serious. Be careful not to get hurt."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuhi Shinku sent several shuriken flying to block Kawaki Aoba's escape routes, then closed in himself.

Yuhi Shinku wanted to use himself as an example to teach Kawaki Aoba a lesson, so he wouldn't grow arrogant after defeating an Elite Jonin. That kind of attitude would surely get him killed on a future mission.

But what Yuhi Shinku hadn't expected was that Kawaki Aoba dodged his attack with ease.

"Teacher Shinku, I won't deny that I felt proud of myself after defeating an Elite Jonin. That mindset was a weakness of mine. But when I face a Jonin, I'm always on my guard to the utmost. I don't dare let my guard down for even a moment."

It was his max-level Observation Haki's Future Sight. Only an ability that let him anticipate Yuhi Shinku's attacks in advance could allow Kawaki Aoba to react early enough to dodge them.

Yuhi Shinku noticed this after a few more consecutive attacks. There was no way Kawaki Aoba's reaction speed alone could let him evade his attacks, yet the boy was somehow dodging ahead of time and predicting them with pinpoint accuracy.

It was simply too baffling.