What dissatisfied him was not the title, but the war.
The war simply was not intense enough. Mo had spent two full months slaughtering fodder before pushing his Yang Release proficiency close to 20%.
Once he reached that point, Mo discovered that ordinary Chunin and Genin provided almost no Yang Release proficiency. He often had to kill around ten of them before the value increased at all. Only his Lightning Release continued to rise slowly due to the Cloud Ninja's mastery of it.
Hidden Cloud had deployed far too few Jonin on the battlefield, nowhere near enough to satisfy Uchiha Mo's thirst for slaughter!
Although, according to the original timeline, once Rasa of Hidden Sand stepped forward and the Cloud Ninja suffered setbacks on another battlefield, the intensity of the war on Hidden Leaf's side would rapidly increase, Mo had no intention of waiting obediently.
He intended to directly escalate the war and force it to erupt. That was the only way he could gain massive amounts of proficiency in a short time while still leaving himself enough time to participate in the other battlefields.
After scouting through two battles, Mo selected a target.
Dodai, the Third Raikage's trusted close adviser. Not only was he the Raikage's most trusted strategist, he was also a core member of Hidden Cloud's upper ranks and the crucial chief examiner for the Double Lariat partner assessment.
He shared exceptionally deep ties with both the Third Raikage and the future Fourth Raikage. The current "A," the future Fourth Raikage, even vaguely regarded him as an older brother.
Killing Dodai would be enough to ignite Hidden Cloud's fury. Furthermore, Dodai possessed the Kekkei Genkai—Lava Release—and his own strength ranked among the very best of the Elite Jonin. He would definitely bring Uchiha Mo considerable gains.
Not long after Mo finalized his plan, battle erupted once more.
This time, Hidden Leaf took the initiative. After two months of probing, Nara Shikaku committed more troops and altered part of the formation in this battle. The goal was to force Hidden Cloud to push the front line back, ensuring that if an all-out war broke out, the flames of war would not spread into the Land of Fire.
However, none of that meant much to Uchiha Mo. He still led the six members of Team 7 and Team 8 through the rear of the battlefield.
But since he had decided to add fuel to the war, Mo naturally would not proceed as usual, searching the battlefield for ordinary targets.
The battle still took place within the vast forest along the border of the Land of Hot Water.
Mo led the six of them swiftly through the forest. At the same time, his gaze constantly shifted, as though searching for something.
After choosing his target, Mo had used Clairvoyance and Wind Ear to gather a great deal of intelligence on Dodai.
Dodai was currently the second-in-command of Hidden Cloud's army, or rather, theoretically the "second-in-command." In reality, even the Third Raikage's son, "A," the Hidden Cloud commander on Hidden Leaf's battlefield and the future Fourth Raikage, had to consult Dodai's advice on specific war deployments.
Although his role was more geared toward support, Dodai was currently in his prime. Naturally, he could not remain stationed in the rear. The force responsible for harassing the flanks of Hidden Leaf's army in every battle was led by Dodai, which was one of the main reasons Uchiha Mo had chosen him as his target.
The group continued moving through the forest. Under Mo's lead, the squad had not encountered a single enemy in nearly ten minutes since setting out. This left Kakashi somewhat puzzled. Seeing the surroundings grow increasingly unfamiliar, he could not help asking:
"Mo, there should have been enemies near that area just now..."
Before he could finish, Uchiha Mo abruptly stopped ahead of them.
Battle Against the Raikage Guard Team
Within Clairvoyance's field of vision, a young man wearing a dark gray military beret was rapidly approaching with three powerfully built men.
He wore a black eyepatch over his left eye, emblazoned with the character for "lightning," and a Hidden Cloud forehead protector. He was precisely Mo's target—Dodai!
The three men were unfamiliar, but judging from their movements, breathing rhythms, and condensed auras, they were likely no ordinary enemies either.
Mo turned around and faced Kakashi and the others.
"There are several very powerful chakra signatures ahead. Hide yourselves first. I'll handle this."
The moment he spoke, the others did not hesitate. They immediately scattered to find places to conceal themselves.
Over the past two months, they had grown accustomed to following Uchiha Mo's commands. Under normal circumstances, they merely needed to follow behind him, wait for Mo to find enemies, then rush in and kill the slightly stronger ones, leaving a few small fry behind for them to practice on.
Objectively speaking, Mo had gradually left those enemies to his teammates because Genin barely provided any increase now that his proficiency had risen. But they did not see it that way.
"It feels like... cough, cough, cough! Lately, Teacher Mo... cough... has been leaving more and more enemies for us... cough, cough..."
Gekko Hayate leaped onto a tree branch and said this.
"Hehe~" Obito grinned when he heard that. He raised his right hand to adjust his goggles, then placed one hand on his hip with a smug expression.
"Isn't that because I'm getting stronger and stronger? Looks like even Blood Ninja has no choice but to acknowledge my potential! Great, I'm getting closer and closer to becoming Hokage!"
"..."
Kakashi turned his dead-fish eyes toward Obito and glanced at him.
"Yeah, nearly getting stabbed to death by a Genin with a kunai. That kind of potential is definitely among the best in all of Hidden Leaf."
The moment he finished speaking, Obito instantly flushed red. Stomping his feet, he pointed at Kakashi in fury.
"Kakashi! That time was because I—"
"Shh—!"
Before he could finish, Rin Nohara turned her head, raised a finger to her lips, and made a silencing gesture. At the same time, she pointed downward.
Obito immediately covered his mouth with both hands, hid behind the tree trunk, and looked down below as though he had suddenly understood.
Dodai led the three muscular young men down from the branches ahead, his gaze warily fixed on Uchiha Mo.
"Blood Ninja?" Dodai's eyes landed on the Uchiha Emblem on the right breast of Mo's Jonin vest.
The moment those words fell, the three muscular young men beside Dodai stiffened. Their bodies tensed, their waists bent slightly, and their wary gazes settled on Mo.
"What?! Lord Dodai, this guy is Blood Ninja?"
"This bastard! He killed so many of our comrades!"
"Since we ran into him, we have to kill him here today!"
Dodai nodded, his expression equally grave.
Uchiha Mo had yet to achieve any terrifying record on the battlefield, but the number of Cloud Ninja who had died by his hand was horrifying. Although A had not paid much attention to him, Dodai, as the brain of Hidden Cloud's army, had no choice but to take notice of this executioner.
"Be careful. Don't look directly into his eyes. We don't need to fight Blood Ninja to the death. Our current position is close to the center of the Third Unit. As long as we stall him, the ninja will come looking once they realize I haven't issued any further orders for too long. When that happens, he'll definitely die!"
Dodai calmly issued his orders.
Although the title "Blood Ninja" sounded intimidating, the lineup on his side was equally formidable. While he was somewhat wary, Dodai was not actually afraid of this battle. As they spoke, Uchiha Mo began moving.
"Tap—"
The instant Mo moved, the four Hidden Cloud ninja stared at Uchiha Mo as though facing a great enemy.
"Whoosh!"
With a single step, Uchiha Mo abruptly appeared beside the four Cloud Ninja in the next instant.
As he reappeared, his right leg was already raised. A devastating roundhouse kick, accompanied by a shriek of splitting air, lashed toward the leftmost young man's temple!
"Di! He's on your side!"
"So fast!"
Dodai and Di shouted one after the other as battle erupted in an instant.
"Bang!"
A dull sound of flesh striking flesh rang out. Di felt his arm go numb, his upper body forced backward by the immense force as he staggered back uncontrollably.
"This guy's so strong!"
Mo's eyes shifted as his right hand shot out, grabbing Di's outstretched arm while he was off-balance. With a twist of his wrist, he used Di's left hand to form the Snake seal and yanked him back. Then Mo clenched his left hand into a fist and smashed it into Di's cheek.
"Bang!"
Blood and two shattered teeth flew through the air. Mo released his right hand, and Di lost his balance again, stumbling away.
Mo ignored him. Turning sideways with the momentum, a long blade flickering with electricity slashed down through the spot where he had just stood.
"Pfft!"
The ninja blade struck the ground. Mo raised his foot and stomped down on the Cloud Ninja's right hand gripping the hilt.
The Cloud Ninja's hand was pinned to the ground, and he cried out in pain. Mo raised his other leg and drove a vicious knee into the Cloud Ninja's cheek!
"Pfft—!"
The Cloud Ninja threw his head back and sprayed out a mouthful of blood. Two white broken teeth could vaguely be seen flying out.
"Fu!"
Someone cried out beside him, but Mo ignored it. He moved the foot pinning the Cloud Ninja's hand, and the Cloud Ninja naturally began to fall backward. Mo reached out again, grabbed his arm, and twisted his wrist to use his hand to form the Ram seal.
Immediately afterward, he suddenly released his grip on Fu and turned around. A kunai nearly brushed past his arm as it slashed down from where Mo had just been.
Mo's Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly. A man holding a kunai that had missed entered his vision—it was Di, back again.
"Haah!"
Di roared, twisting his right hand into a reverse grip on the kunai. He then spun sharply at the waist and drove it toward Mo's head!
"Bang!"
Mo firmly caught Di's wrist with one hand. Then his already prepared right fist shot out like lightning, striking Di beneath his right arm!
It was one of the most sensitive areas for pain nerves. Di instantly cried out in pain, his right arm going numb as his hand involuntarily loosened and the kunai fell. Mo twisted his left hand and once more used Di's right hand to form a seal.
"Hm?" Di came back to his senses and looked suspiciously at the hand forming the seal. Then he raised his right leg and swept it fiercely toward Mo's head.
Mo released his left hand and bent down. The roundhouse kick swept past with the breeze while Mo braced one hand against the ground and sprang upward. In midair, his legs shot out like lightning, sending both Fu, who had charged back in, and Di, whose attack had just missed, flying away!
In the next instant, mud and stones sprayed into the air as a pair of large hands burst from the ground where Mo had just stood!
Mo's left hand instantly reached out and grabbed the sneak attacker's wrist. At the same time, he brought both legs together and stomped down hard!
"Ugh, aaah!"
A scream rang out. Mo used the man's right hand to form another seal.
An Unexpected Delight
Mo withdrew his hand, and his bent legs instantly sprang out. His entire body flipped backward and soared into the air.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The moment he spoke, an incomparably massive blood-red fireball burst from Mo's mouth and shot toward the four Cloud Ninja on the ground!
The terrifying flames sent the surrounding temperature soaring. The massive fireball carried overwhelming momentum, crashing down like an unstoppable meteor. Dodai's face changed in alarm.
He swept his eyes over his companions, who could not react in time, and stopped standing by to gather intelligence. Chakra rapidly surged within his body.
"Lava Release: Rubber Ball!"
Dodai spewed out a large amount of yellow rubber. As though alive, it formed a huge semicircle on its own, covering all four Cloud Ninja beneath it.
"Boom—!"
The bloodflame fireball exploded against the ground. Fierce firelight surged up, mud and stones scattered, and the entire earth seemed to tremble slightly!
Only after three full breaths, when the smoke and flames had completely dispersed, was the situation on the ground revealed.
The yellow "rubber bowl" had become battered and broken, lying off to one side. Dodai was covered in dust and looked merely disheveled, but his companions had not been so fortunate.
A charred corpse lay at the outer edge of the crater formed by the fireball. It appeared to have been blasted away by the explosion. Though unrecognizable, its build still made it clear that it was the Cloud Ninja named Di.
As for the other two, Fu had suffered massive burns across his back and lay on the ground twitching with bared teeth. The unnamed Cloud Ninja was in relatively decent condition, though his face looked somewhat pale.
"Damn it, was protecting four people in such a short time still too much?" Dodai frowned, his face filled with guilt and a trace of regret.
Dodai's Lava Release did not possess Roshi's destructive power, nor did it have Kurotsuchi's control effects. However, in terms of defense, it was absolutely among the best.
In the original story, he had not only used Lava Release to block the reanimated Third Raikage's Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite for several breaths, but later relied on this ability to protect Naruto's Shadow Clone beneath Madara Uchiha's Tengai Shinsei. Its performance was undoubtedly at the very top below the Kage.
Mo landed on a tree branch and glanced at the panel, slightly startled.
Lightning Release Proficiency +3.12% Yang Release Proficiency +1.89%
These numbers were not high, but increasing Mo's proficiency was exceptionally difficult now! Before Mo's Yang Release proficiency had reached the 20% threshold, Toroi could only provide an increase of around 2%.
Yet this unheard-of "Di" had pushed Mo's Yang Release proficiency past 20% and even added nearly another 1% of proficiency!
Before you continue