Mind's Eye of the Kagura

After listening to Maki Uzumaki's explanation, Chiba Shun gained a deeper understanding of Sensory Jutsu, but it still was not enough.

After thinking for a moment, Chiba Shun said, "Maki-senpai, do you have any way to improve this Sensory Jutsu?"

"This Sensory Jutsu needs the earth as a medium. If it could use the air directly as a medium, it would at least be a B-rank Sensory Jutsu!"

Maki Uzumaki shot Chiba Shun a sidelong glance and said, "I'm busy. Studying Medical Ninjutsu is already exhausting enough, and you want me to research Sensory Jutsu too?"

"And it's for your own training. Why should I?"

Chiba Shun coughed dryly and said with perfect confidence, "Because you nearly ate me into poverty back then!"

Maki Uzumaki recalled the time when Chiba Shun had just rescued her from the Grass shinobi. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she glared at him angrily.

Only then did she say, "I can spare some time to research Sensory Jutsu, and I can tell you the results."

"But I have a condition too!"

Chiba Shun watched her warily. He was poor now, and even the money to exchange for that B-rank Sensory Jutsu had been scraped together from every possible source.

Maki Uzumaki rolled her eyes at Chiba Shun and said, "When I get married, I want to be married off from your home. You can be my younger brother from my mother's side!"

Chiba Shun froze for a moment, then asked curiously, "Maki-senpai, do you have someone you like?"

Maki Uzumaki flushed slightly and snapped, "What does a little brat like you know? Go play somewhere else."

With that, she returned straight to the hospital.

Chiba Shun stood there and thought for a while. In this life, would Maki Uzumaki's child still be Karin? Would she still inherit sensory talent on the level of Mind's Eye of the Kagura?

Sometimes, talent truly surpassed acquired effort by far.

Maki Uzumaki only worked on developing Sensory Jutsu in her spare time while studying Medical Ninjutsu.

Yet in just one month, she raised the Sensory Jutsu to A-rank!

The new A-rank Sensory Jutsu had its detection range increased severalfold. In Maki Uzumaki's hands, its range reached a terrifying 10,000 meters, and it could even sense chakra fluctuations in the air.

After Maki Uzumaki handed this A-rank Sensory Jutsu over to the village, she received a large reward.

Of course, she also taught this A-rank Sensory Jutsu to Chiba Shun for free.

At Chiba Shun's suggestion, she named the Sensory Jutsu Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

Maki Uzumaki spent ten days guiding Chiba Shun in cultivating Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

With the creator herself personally and unreservedly guiding him, Chiba Shun's Sensory Jutsu improved quickly.

However, he still ultimately failed to learn Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

The reason was the same as why he could not learn A-rank Illusion Techniques: his Yin Release level was not high enough.

The result left Chiba Shun somewhat disappointed, but after training these past few days, his Yin Release had still improved somewhat. This quantitative change, however, was not enough to bring about a qualitative transformation.

It seemed he could only wait for good news from Danzo!

One day, after more than a month of continuous training in Illusion Techniques and Sensory Jutsu, Chiba Shun was practicing ninjutsu on the Ninja Academy field as usual when he suddenly heard fierce sounds of battle.

Chiba Shun's heart tightened. The sound was not far away. It should be inside the Ninja Academy.

"This definitely isn't a spar between students. Ninja Academy students can barely become Genin. There's no way they could make such a commotion."

As he thought, Chiba Shun ran rapidly toward the source of the sound.

By the time Chiba Shun reached the source, Aoki Yuyi had already arrived as well.

Aoki Yuyi was frowning at the two ANBU squads before him.

Of course, he knew that since Chiba Shun's most recent return, two ANBU squads had appeared at the Ninja Academy.

He simply had never known what those two ANBU squads were there for.

Chiba Shun naturally knew. He stepped forward, first nodding apologetically to Aoki Yuyi, then asking an ANBU squad captain what had happened.

The eight ANBU were surrounding more than twenty children wearing special goggles. Before them lay a corpse.

The ANBU squad captain said, "This person tried to approach these children. After being warned off by the academy's logistical staff, he tried to force his way in, so we killed him."

Chiba Shun looked toward the staff member the ANBU squad captain had indicated. The man nodded nervously.

This staff member was an ordinary person who had originally worked at an orphanage. This was his first time witnessing ninja combat at close range.

Chiba Shun had him and the other staff members leave before saying to the ANBU squad captain, "The enemy was definitely targeting these children. Their objective should have been to destroy the Byakugan."

"Transfer immediately. Return to ANBU headquarters."

The ANBU squad captain hesitated, then said, "Chiba Shun, I suspect the enemy is trying to lure the snake from the grass. Moving now may mean walking into their trap."

"Why not send a signal and request reinforcements?"

Chiba Shun shook his head. "We're meant to walk into the trap. Remember, if enemies attack, kill them if you can. If you can't, find a way to leave injuries on them that can identify them!"

"As for these children..."

Chiba Shun looked around, confirmed that there were no students nearby, and only then said, "If they die, they die."

The ANBU squad captain was startled. "No. Our orders are to protect these children."

Chiba Shun said, "Lord Raikage also said that I am in charge of this mission. I am changing the orders now!"

The ANBU squad captain hesitated slightly at those words, then nodded.

Soon, the eight ANBU left with twenty children.

Chiba Shun looked at Aoki Yuyi, thought for a moment, then took out a pile of goggles and put them on several dozen other children before saying, "Aoki-senpai, I'll leave this place to you. If there are any more intelligence ninja from enemy countries, I'm counting on you."

With that, Chiba Shun ran directly in the direction the ANBU squad had left.

Aoki Yuyi was still in shock. "Byakugan? Did Chiba Shun just say Byakugan?"

"A Byakugan bloodline limit appeared in the village? And at the Ninja Academy?"

After a moment, Aoki Yuyi came to his senses. "No, based on what Chiba Shun meant, those children should only be bait."

He looked again at the several dozen children in the room wearing goggles, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Those who played tactics really did have black hearts!

Still, he heightened his vigilance.

On the other side, Chiba Shun had barely run out of the Ninja Academy when the battle ahead began.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The explosions of three Explosive Tags shattered Kumogakure's peace.

To erase the Hyuga bloodline, Konoha had truly spared no expense. These people probably had not planned to keep infiltrating, nor had they planned to return alive.

Chiba Shun did not charge directly into the battle zone. Instead, he rapidly formed hand seals and slammed a hand against the ground. Earth Release: Four-Sided Earth-Style Wall!

Four massive Earth-Style Walls rapidly rose from the ground, directly enclosing the battlefield.

Chiba Shun leaped onto one of the Earth-Style Walls and looked down into the center.

The battle inside was fast-paced. Quite a few children had already died, but because Chiba Shun had changed the orders, none of the ANBU had died. They had abandoned some of the children immediately.

At that moment, both sides were already locked in battle.

However, judging by the situation, the Konoha ninja wanted to flee while the eight ANBU tried to hold them back.

The Konoha side had already seen the eyes of the children they had killed. They were not Byakugan. They had fallen into a trap!

So they no longer intended to kill the remaining children and instead planned to retreat first.

However, the eight ANBU ultimately failed to hold all the enemies back. Three people escaped the area sealed by the Earth-Style Walls one after another.

One climbed over an Earth-Style Wall, while the other two blasted a hole through one and passed through it.

Chiba Shun first sighed. "Konoha really has a lot of people planted in Kumogakure."

Then he immediately chased after a burly man.

Although the man had covered his face, Chiba Shun was certain that he was the Special Jonin who had specialized in swordsmanship and tried to assassinate him before!

Because he had prepared for this, Chiba Shun immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to close the distance, then rapidly formed hand seals. Earth Release: Earth-Flow Spears! Earth Release: Earth Spear! Earth Release: Rock Bullet!

A large number of C-rank offensive ninjutsu continuously interfered with the opponent, preventing him from shaking Chiba Shun off.

The sword-wielding ninja also knew that he could not possibly escape unscathed today, so he turned and charged at Chiba Shun.

He could not escape. The infiltration mission was certainly ruined. Then before he died, he would drag Chiba Shun down with him!

After failing to assassinate Chiba Shun last time, he had even been reprimanded by Lord Danzo!

If it had not been difficult for him to infiltrate Kumogakure, Danzo would have executed him long ago!

Chiba Shun grinned. He had experienced the opponent's swordsmanship before and knew he was certainly no match for him, so naturally he did not dare engage him at close range.

Thus, Earth Release: Underground Movement.

Chiba Shun burrowed directly underground.

The sword-wielding ninja gritted his teeth and stopped, then turned to flee.

But after only a few steps, a massive Earth-Style Wall appeared directly in front of him.

He swung his sword and smashed a hole through the Earth-Style Wall, then drilled straight through.

At that moment, a hand shot precisely out of the ground and seized the foot he had just planted.

The sword-wielding ninja was shocked and hurriedly swung his blade down, but he was too late.

He only felt an immense force pull at his ankle. After a moment of weightlessness, he felt as if something was pressing down on his body, leaving him unable to breathe.

That was right. Chiba Shun had used the Heartless Decapitation Technique.

The sword-wielding ninja instinctively erupted with chakra, trying to break free.

However, Chiba Shun had also left a considerable amount of chakra in the earth, greatly restricting his resistance.

At this point, even if the sword-wielding ninja had far more chakra than Chiba Shun, it would have been useless, because he also had to contend with the obstruction of the earth itself.

Chiba Shun had used this method to suffocate a Jonin underground last time, much less a mere Special Jonin!

Sure enough, after a while, Chiba Shun, crouching on the ground, curled his lips upward slightly. Finally suffocated you to death.

I've waited a long time for this day! If you didn't die, I would never have been able to let it go!

After dealing with the sword-wielding ninja, Chiba Shun stood and looked toward the original battlefield.

The battle there was still continuing, but it should be ending soon, because Kumogakure shinobi had begun joining the fight one after another.