Su Bai Found a New Goal

Gale's words aroused the suspicions of several jonin.

Su Bai stood to the side with an expressionless face, neither adding to nor denying his uncle's words.

After hearing this, the Third Hokage wore a grave expression and remained silent.

His weathered eyes narrowed slightly, his deep gaze falling upon Su Bai as though he wished to see through the young man's heart.

The tobacco in his pipe burned slowly, wisps of smoke curling through the office.

His fingers lightly tapped against the desk, making barely audible sounds.

A trace of surprise, doubt, and even an almost imperceptible wariness flashed through the Third Hokage's eyes.

He seemed to be weighing something, pondering the secrets that might lie behind the astonishing strength this young man had suddenly displayed.

"Su Bai," he finally said in a low, hoarse voice, "can you describe in detail how you defeated that Sunagakure jonin?"

Su Bai calmly met the Hokage's eyes and answered neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I used a newly developed Fire Release ninjutsu, Lord Hokage."

The Third Hokage nodded thoughtfully, a meaningful glint passing through his eyes.

He looked at Hayate Gekko again, seemingly confirming what this experienced jonin thought of his description of his nephew.

The Third Hokage recalled the terrifying heat Su Bai had unleashed in anger when facing Neji during the preliminaries.

"Interesting," the Third Hokage murmured. "It should be true."

His gaze returned to Su Bai, now carrying an additional measure of scrutiny and expectation.

The Third Hokage seemed to realize that the young man standing before him might become a key figure in changing Konoha's future.

At last, he slowly said, "I understand. Given the current situation, I will immediately order the village's defenses strengthened. Gale, Su Bai, you did well."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

Gale and Su Bai bowed at the same time.

"You may return now and get some proper rest."

The Third Hokage waved his hand.

After the two left, the atmosphere in the office grew somewhat heavy.

Kakashi and Might Guy exchanged a glance, then Kakashi spoke. "Lord Hokage, what do you think?"

The Third Hokage took a deep breath. "The alliance between Orochimaru and Sunagakure is indeed troubling. But regarding Su Bai..."

"Lord Hokage, forgive my bluntness."

Might Guy interjected, "I think Gale may have exaggerated somewhat. Although Su Bai is exceptionally talented, saying that he defeated a jonin alone is a little too far-fetched."

"Kakashi, what do you think?"

The Third Hokage turned to ask Kakashi.

Kakashi pondered for a moment.

He knew what these jonin were suspicious about.

They simply believed that Gale had probably killed that jonin.

Because the two were relatives, Gale wanted to give the credit to his nephew so that he could become a chunin through the Chunin Exams.

But Kakashi chose to believe in his student's character.

"Su Bai is my student. His blade was indeed wrapped in Fire Release flames, but their power was nowhere near as great as Gale described."

"However, I believe in Su Bai's character. He should truly have killed that jonin. With Su Bai's strength, becoming a chunin is only natural."

The Third Hokage nodded thoughtfully. "Your views are quite reasonable. But no matter what, we cannot let our guard down. For now, our attention must remain on Orochimaru and Sunagakure."

"Understood!"

The jonin answered in unison.

In truth, all the jonin present understood what he meant.

Whether this matter was true or false, the Third Hokage would not pursue it.

After all, there were more important matters to deal with right now.

ANBU was highly efficient.

Before long, news arrived that Yakushi Kabuto had fled and vanished without a trace.

Only when Gale finally stepped through the front door did Su Bai truly let out a sigh of relief.

Standing at the entrance, he looked back at the village beneath the night sky, a trace of satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

His uncle's fate had been changed, and he finally had time to visit several companions at the hospital.

The smell of disinfectant permeated the hospital corridor.

Su Bai silently walked toward Hinata's room, his footsteps so light they were nearly inaudible.

The moment he pushed open the door, sunlight was pouring in through the window, bathing Hinata as she rested quietly in bed.

Her unique Byakugan looked especially enchanting under the sunlight.

Like two crystal-clear pearls, they shimmered with a gentle, mysterious glow.

Hearing the sound, Hinata slowly turned her head. When she saw Su Bai, a flash of delight appeared in her eyes, followed by a shy lowering of her head.

"Su Bai..." Hinata called softly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

Su Bai nodded and walked to her bedside.

He took out a basket of fruit from the bag he carried and gently placed it on the bedside table.

Fresh apples and oranges gave off a faint fragrance, adding a touch of life to the hospital room.

Their gazes met in the air. No words were needed; their eyes had already conveyed countless things.

Su Bai had asked the doctor.

Hinata's injuries would require some time to recover from, but they should not leave any lasting effects.

"Thank you..." Hinata said softly, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

Su Bai nodded gently without saying much, merely signaling with his eyes for Hinata to rest well.

Then, Su Bai turned and walked toward the door.

The door closed softly, leaving Hinata alone in the room.

She gazed at the basket of fruit by her bed, a faint smile on her lips.

Next, he went to visit Rock Lee.

Rock Lee was doing whatever training he could from his hospital bed. Seeing Su Bai visit, he excitedly waved in greeting.

Su Bai exchanged a few simple words with him before turning to leave.

The doctor had said Rock Lee's condition was rather serious.

There was still sand embedded in his bones that had not been removed. He might not be able to continue being a ninja in the future.

Finally, Su Bai arrived at Sasuke's room.

Sasuke was leaning against the headboard in thought. When he saw Su Bai, he merely gave him a faint glance.

Neither of them was particularly talkative, so Su Bai stood there for a while before taking his leave.

After returning home and lying on his bed, he opened the system panel:

[Host]: Su Bai

[Fused Character]: Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto

[Zanpakuto]: Ryujin Jakka

[Current Fusion Rate]: 11% (50000/110000000)

[Initial Release]: All things in the universe, turn to ashes—Ryujin Jakka!

[Bankai]: None

[Hand-to-Hand Combat]: Shin'ō Academy Intermediate Hakuda

[Kido]: Hado #4 "White Lightning" (can be used without chanting), Bakudo #21 "Red Smoke Escape" (can be used without chanting)

[Footwork]: Shin'ō Academy Intermediate Flash Step

[Swordsmanship]: Intermediate Swordsmanship

After killing the Sunagakure jonin, he discovered that his Bakudo #21, "Red Smoke Escape," could now be used without chanting.

This was thanks to unlocking his Initial Release, which had greatly increased his killing power and allowed him to instantly kill his opponent in one strike.

Su Bai carefully considered his current abilities.

Initial Release had improved his offensive power. Intermediate Flash Step had brought his speed to the level Rock Lee reached after opening the Second Gate of the Eight Gates, and he could use it for long periods without side effects.

Intermediate Hand-to-Hand Combat combined with Intermediate Swordsmanship made him nearly invincible in close combat.

However, Su Bai also clearly realized that he still lacked long-range attack options.

At present, White Lightning was his only ranged skill.

Although he had successfully changed his uncle's fate, he knew he could not relax because of it.

In a few years, Six Paths of Pain would attack Konoha, and the Moonlight Clan would surely suffer devastating losses.

Su Bai had no interest in becoming Hokage. He only wanted to protect his uncle, his companions, and the members of the Hayate Clan.

To gain enough strength to contend with Pain before his attack, he had to continue searching for places where battles were taking place and pick up experience points.

After pondering for a moment, Su Bai set his sights on his next target—the upcoming Chunin Exams finals.

According to the original story, the finals would be an excellent opportunity to gain a great deal of experience.

He would face Hyuga Clan Neji, and that battle would surely bring considerable experience.

The one-on-one fights between the other contestants were equally not to be underestimated.

More importantly, Su Bai remembered that Orochimaru would launch his assault on Konoha during the finals in the original story.

At that time, even the summoned First Hokage and Second Hokage would join the battle.

Though they were weakened versions of the First and Second Hokage, their strength was still not to be underestimated.

This would undoubtedly be a perfect chance to absorb an enormous amount of experience.

In the original story, when Orochimaru launched his attack, he had originally planned for Gaara to transform into a Tailed Beast and cooperate with him.

However, Gaara was injured during his match with Sasuke, preventing him from successfully transforming and bringing the plan to a halt.

The three Sunagakure ninja fled in disgrace, and Sasuke pursued them.

Afterward, Kakashi sent Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru to support Sasuke.

At that time, Naruto fought a great battle with Gaara and defeated Gaara in his Tailed Beast form.

In other words, fierce battles occurred both on the Third Hokage's side and Naruto's side.

There was plenty of battle experience to be gained from both sides.

After considering it for a moment, Su Bai made his decision.

He decided to remain on the Third Hokage's side.

Because he was still somewhat worried about his uncle's safety.

At the final stage of the Chunin Exams, the most important thing was not picking up experience, but ensuring Gale's personal safety above all else.

As for Gaara's side, he would leave it to Naruto and Sasuke.

He believed they would surely be able to win as well.

With the plan decided, Su Bai resolved to do everything he could to improve his strength before participating in the finals.

Recalling his earlier battles, Su Bai realized that Red Smoke Escape had even greater potential to be explored.

He remembered how Zabuza moved like a fish in water within the Hidden Mist Technique, and inspiration suddenly struck him.

If he could use Red Smoke Escape to the same degree as Zabuza, it would undoubtedly cause enormous trouble for ninja with ocular techniques.

Whether facing the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan,

or even the Rinnegan of the Six Paths of Pain who would arrive in a few years, Red Smoke Escape could become the key to defeating his enemies.

By blocking the opponent's vision, it could greatly weaken the effects of those powerful ocular techniques.

Moreover, Red Smoke Escape was superior to the Hidden Mist Technique.

Though the red smoke screen was non-toxic, it had an intensely pungent smell.

In other words, even if Kakashi-sensei summoned his ninja hounds, they would be unable to find him within Red Smoke Escape.

At that thought, a sharp gleam flashed through Su Bai's eyes.

He had found his breakthrough—before the finals, he would focus on training combat methods that did not rely on vision.

With that thought in mind, Su Bai found Gale trimming potted plants in the backyard.

"Uncle, I'd like to ask you something."

Su Bai got straight to the point. "Is there any good way to train combat skills that don't rely on the eyes?"

Gale put down his shears and looked at his nephew with slight surprise.

He pondered for a moment, a look of reminiscence flashing through his eyes.

"There is indeed a method. Cough, cough." Gale spoke slowly.