Mo glanced at the excited Shisui and nodded.
Shisui grew even happier at the confirmation, but Mo paid him no mind.
After a while, Shisui gradually came back to himself. He looked at Mo and asked:
"Brother, I'll be finishing all the training tasks you assigned me soon. What should I do after you leave?"
Mo looked up at Shisui, then shifted his gaze away and said calmly:
"I'll leave behind the scrolls the Great Elder gave me."
Among the ninjutsu scrolls given by the Great Elder, Mo had basically learned all the techniques he needed over the past year. He could not claim mastery, but he could at least perform them smoothly.
Shisui's expression did not change at all. He quietly moved over and sat beside Mo, a smile appearing on his face.
"Brother, I'm not really interested in those ninjutsu. Haven't you been researching a new technique all this time? Last time, you used some terrifying forbidden technique—I couldn't tell whether it was Lightning Release or Fire Release. How about teaching me that instead?"
The moment he finished speaking, Mo frowned slightly and refused without hesitation:
"No! That technique is not complete yet. It has little practical combat value, and it's dangerous."
The forbidden technique Shisui had mentioned was precisely the result of Mo's year-long research into Kekkei Genkai.
Over that year of research, Mo had gradually figured out why Lightning-Fire Dual Release could not fuse into a Kekkei Genkai, yet could be used with Chidori.
The key was Yin Release!
Lightning-Fire Dual Release was too explosive; perfect fusion was impossible. But when Yin Release merged with either one, its power altered that element, turning its outward explosiveness into restrained swiftness. Only then did the two have a chance of fusing.
Flame Release was like that. After Yin nature fused with Fire nature, the originally explosive Blazing Fire became restrained yet swift Black Flame.
In other words, what Mo was actually trying to fuse was not a Kekkei Genkai, but a Kekkei Tōta!
This was also the key reason Chidori had successfully allowed Fire Release to be infused into it. In order to fuse the two, Mo had instinctively used a great deal of ocular power, and the Yin Release within it had prompted their fusion without him realizing it.
However, when he tried to use the same method to fuse Kekkei Genkai within his body, it did not work. The reason was that Mo's Yin Release level was sufficient for technique fusion, but insufficient for this situation.
That final step was what had stopped Mo just short of success.
Fortunately, now that he had thoroughly understood the reason, everything was ready except for the final push.
"Fine..."
The next day.
At the Hidden Leaf training grounds, eight figures from Team 7 and Team 8 stood together.
Minato Namikaze scratched the golden hair at the back of his head and spread one hand.
"So, that's the situation. Due to the village's arrangements, you'll be operating with Mo on the battlefield against Hidden Cloud from now on."
"Whaaat?!"
Uchiha Obito let out a startled cry. He looked at the expressionless Uchiha Mo beside Minato, swallowed, and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something. But Mo casually swept his gaze over him, and Obito immediately shuddered, standing ramrod straight as sweat streamed down his forehead. He shut his mouth.
"Obito, what's wrong?"
Rin Nohara looked at him worriedly.
"Rin... I'm fine, I'm fine! Haha... I was just... just practicing some Taijutsu! That's right, I'm practicing Taijutsu... haha..."
On the other side, Kakashi had already walked up to Mo.
"Mo, I heard your technique is finished."
Uchiha Mo nodded indifferently, while Kakashi wore a troubled expression.
He scratched his white hair, irritation showing through the dead-fish eyes above his mask.
"My Chidori is nearly complete too, but Minato-sensei said it has a fatal flaw. If your dynamic vision isn't good enough, the high-speed charge and blinding lightning will keep you from seeing the enemy clearly, leaving you open to a counterattack..."
Mo glanced at Kakashi and said casually:
"Then give up the speed and momentum gained from the thrust."
After losing his Sharingan in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Kakashi had developed Purple Lightning, a version suited for ordinary people. It looked similar to Chidori, only with slightly less speed and penetrating power.
Ultimately, Purple Lightning was the Lightning Release ninjutsu suited for ordinary people, while Chidori was more like a technique that existed specifically for the Uchiha Clan. Among those without Uchiha blood, only individuals like Minato Namikaze and Tobirama Senju, whose reflexes and dynamic vision were exceptional, could possibly master it.
"Give it up..."
Minato Namikaze stood nearby. Looking at Kakashi, who had moved close to Mo, and the other five who had already gathered together, he wore a sunny smile.
"It seems Mo's Team 8 and Team 7 are quite compatible."
Thinking that, he felt much more reassured. He turned to Mo and said:
"Mo, I'll leave this to you. I need to head to the special operations squad and prepare an action plan."
Uchiha Mo kept his eyes forward and nodded expressionlessly.
Minato vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving only the seven of them on the training grounds.
"Kakashi, I'm leaving your teammates to you. I don't have time to play house. Use whatever methods you want, as long as you make sure they obey on the battlefield."
Kakashi had still been lost in thought over modifying Chidori, but Mo's slightly cold words abruptly snapped him out of it.
"Uh... all right, I understand!"
Kakashi froze for a moment, then nodded and walked toward his teammates.
A short while later, Kakashi gathered the members of Team 7 and spoke to them about something.
Uchiha Obito and Rin Nohara were briefly stunned. Then Obito showed a relieved expression before crossing his arms and glaring at Kakashi indignantly.
First Probe, Magnetic Release Ninja Toroi
At the northeastern border of the Land of Fire, near the border with the Land of Hot Water.
The Hidden Leaf army was stationed there. The reason they had not advanced deeper into the Land of Hot Water was not out of conscience, but because Hidden Cloud had seized the initiative and already drawn its battle line within the Land of Hot Water, not far from the Land of Fire's border.
Inside the command tent, Nara Shikaku was discussing countermeasures with several army leaders, but none of that concerned Uchiha Mo.
Mo wore a Hidden Leaf Jonin vest and leaned against a large tree with his arms crossed, tilting his head slightly toward the rear.
Asuma Sarutobi and Uchiha Obito were sparring in an open area beside the forest. Kakashi stood nearby, bored out of his mind as he acted as referee, while Gekko Hayate, Kurenai Yuhi, and Rin Nohara sat to one side watching, occasionally cheering them on.
It seemed Team 8 and Team 7 really were quite compatible.
Mo glanced at Obito, who was scrambling under Asuma's Flying Swallow attacks, then withdrew his gaze and looked up at the sky with faint boredom.
Before long, Obito cried out miserably and crashed to the ground. The victor had been decided.
Although Obito had been a dead last as a boy, his actual combat ability was not weak. Still, Asuma was clearly somewhat stronger than he had been at the same point in the original story.
Behind him came Rin Nohara's comforting words and Obito's embarrassed, stubborn retorts. Mo suddenly lowered his head and looked ahead.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a man in a Chunin vest suddenly appeared before him and handed him a folded sheet of white paper.
"Jonin Uchiha Mo, Lord Shikaku's arrangements have been finalized. The army will officially move tomorrow. Please act according to the orders in the plan..."
Before he could finish, a voice swiftly rang out across the military camp.
"A report from the forward reconnaissance unit! Hidden Cloud has begun moving! Hidden Cloud has begun moving! Everyone, immediately advance according to deployment! The battle line must be pushed beyond the Land of Fire's borders!"
The announcement spread rapidly, repeating throughout the camp. The Chunin froze for a moment, then nodded to Mo and hurried away.
Mo unfolded the note with one hand, glanced at the white paper, and casually tossed it aside. Blood-colored flames instantly ignited on the paper, reducing it to ash in the blink of an eye.
He turned his head and cast his gaze directly toward the front lines. His pupils narrowed slightly, and his ears twitched as his perception instantly crossed an unknown distance and arrived within Hidden Cloud's army.
With the Wind Ear ability unlocked, the maximum range and precision of Mo's Clairvoyance had both greatly increased. Even his normal dynamic vision had improved considerably.
By Mo's own judgment, his normal dynamic vision now surpassed that of an ordinary Single-Tomoe Sharingan. At the very least, it was stronger than Shisui's had been at one tomoe.
As his ability activated, Hidden Cloud's situation entered Mo's perception.
Hidden Cloud's forces were advancing from three directions. The central force, led by two burly dark-skinned men, was heading straight for the Hidden Leaf camp. It was clearly the main force led by A and B. The other two forces had curved around from either side, and judging by their routes, their target was likely the flanks.
Mo was about to see whether Hidden Cloud had any other worthwhile prey when a voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"Mo, aren't we moving?"
Watching the rapidly assembling army ahead, Kakashi hurried anxiously to Mo's side.
Mo withdrew his gaze, looked at Kakashi, and pushed himself away from the tree.
"Let's go."
As soon as he spoke, he took the lead. Team 8 and Team 7 swiftly followed behind him.
Just as he had expected, because he was leading a group of "deadweight" and had not yet made much of a name for himself in Hidden Leaf, the higher-ups had only assigned him a training mission. As long as they stayed away from the frontmost parts of the battlefield, Mo could lead his squad freely through the battlefield with an extremely high degree of freedom.
About fifteen minutes later, the first clash between Hidden Leaf and Hidden Cloud erupted within a vast forest!
For their first clash, both sides had tacitly chosen the forest, where the terrain was more complex. They clearly wanted to probe each other, using the forest terrain to reduce the battle's intensity.
Mo led the team swiftly through the forest, his pupils narrowing as he rapidly searched for targets.
The scenery rushed backward around them. Before long, five figures entered his sight, dressed in white half-body armor over black long-sleeved clothing and wearing Hidden Cloud forehead protectors.
Step!
Mo landed on a thick branch, and the others landed one after another in nearby trees behind him.
Mo did not conceal his presence, so the Hidden Cloud ninja immediately sensed them. They abandoned their inspection of the corpse in their hands, gripped their ninja tools, and looked up warily.
But after seeing who had arrived, several of them immediately looked relieved.
"What the hell? They're just a bunch of brats. Has Hidden Leaf declined to the point where it needs children as battlefield fodder?"
One Cloud Ninja lowered his ninja sword and spoke with disdain.
"Don't let your guard down, Rikai! This one isn't some ordinary brat!"
A Cloud Ninja immediately rebuked him. He had a full beard, a small scroll hanging from his body, and a string of diamond-shaped shuriken in his hand. His gaze was fixed on Uchiha Mo, who stood at the front.
"Toroi, you're being way too cautious. What kind of strength could a kid this big have? When I was his age, I was already doing well if I didn't wet my pants on the battlefield. You—"
Rikai continued chattering away, while Uchiha Mo turned his gaze toward the Cloud Ninja staring intently at him.
"Toroi?"
He had headed in this direction because his sensory ability had detected that this man's chakra presence was much stronger than that of the other fodder, even reaching the level of an Elite Jonin. He had not expected such a pleasant surprise.
Toroi, an Elite Jonin of Hidden Cloud, possessed the Magnetic Release Kekkei Genkai.
Even if a Kekkei Genkai user was not particularly skilled in their own release, they could still bring Mo an extremely considerable increase in proficiency.
Danzo, for example, had merely transplanted a Three Tomoe Sharingan, yet had raised Mo's Yin Release proficiency by over seven percent of its more than twenty-percent increase.
Magnetic Release was a bloodline limit formed by fusing Wind and Earth natures. There were also rumors that Toroi's Magnetic Release differed from Hidden Sand's and was instead formed from Lightning and Earth natures. As for the truth, Uchiha Mo would soon find out for himself.
After finishing speaking with Toroi, Rikai shrugged and turned toward Uchiha Mo, who stood on the branch with his arms crossed. A cruel smile appeared on his face.
"Kids, bat—"
Before he could finish, Mo lowered his eyes, which had turned blood-red at some point, and impatiently glanced at him.
Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!
Splurt!
In an instant, Rikai's body began trembling violently. Blood poured from his mouth and nose, his face turned paper-white, and then his eyes rolled back as he collapsed straight to the ground, all signs of life gone.
"Rikai?!"
Toroi's Death, Eyes in the Dark
Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique was a Genjutsu similar to Tsukuyomi, a technique purely for mental attacks. Even if its victim realized they had been caught in a Genjutsu, they still had to endure the mental assault. There was only one way to break it: resist with stronger ocular power or Yin Release, or endure it through sheer willpower.
Before you continue