In just one month, excluding time spent resting and preparing, Arai led Yubi and Sasori on nearly ten raids against outposts in the Land of Rain.
They went from being cautious at first to handling things with ease later on.
Yubi's growth also delighted Arai.
The combat experience and techniques he taught Yubi... would ultimately have to be applied on the battlefield.
How far a person could go in the future also depended on how quickly he grew stronger on the battlefield... rather than training in isolation.
The routes they took into the Land of Rain were far apart on every mission, precisely to keep Amegakure's border forces from preparing for them.
But as their incursions increased, the other side concluded that the Land of Wind had recently plotted a coordinated campaign of harassment against their borders... so, after their final, somewhat dangerous withdrawal, Arai ended the competition between Sasori and Yubi.
Over those ten missions, both had their wins and losses... in terms of performance alone, they were evenly matched.
But in terms of enemies killed, Sasori certainly had a slightly higher count.
Even so... the talent and ability Yubi displayed could already be called monstrous.
Especially that insidious assassination ninjutsu, "Blade Intent Manipulation."
In Arai's eyes, this ninjutsu's power and effects were nothing short of stunning.
When he learned that Yubi had created the ninjutsu himself using puppeteer methods, and especially that Sasori had given him the inspiration... Arai was momentarily speechless.
An eight-year-old Genin fresh out of the Ninja Academy could create his own A-rank ninjutsu?
That would be considered inconceivable anywhere in the entire shinobi world.
So he also sent the news back to the village by letter, reporting it to the Third Kazekage.
Every original ninjutsu was a means of bolstering the village's fighting strength, as well as a valuable asset to the village. Of course... whether to contribute it to the village still depended on Yubi's own wishes.
However, after observing it over this period, Arai was certain that although this A-rank ninjutsu looked simple, it was actually extremely difficult to learn.
Although its chakra consumption and the difficulty of controlling that chakra were not especially high... the precision required just to control throwing knives at a distance was not something an ordinary person could master overnight.
For puppeteers with some foundation, it seemed a little easier to pick up.
Sasori tried it using his own Chakra Threads. Although he could imitate it... its power and effects were greatly diminished, reaching only the level of a C-rank ninjutsu.
The main issue was that, once the distance increased, the feedback transmitted to the user through the threads Yubi controlled, as well as those scalpels, became extremely faint and difficult to control. It was different from puppets.
And if Chakra Threads were used, the ninjutsu's concealment would be greatly reduced. The key lay in the special properties of the threads and knives.
Before he knew it, the term of Yubi's border patrol assignment had come to an end.
He would return to Sunagakure with Arai to turn in the mission.
His experiences over these past three months and more had certainly been eventful... and had also begun his transformation toward becoming a powerful ninja.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Amegakure.
Its leader, Hanzo of the Salamander, sat upright inside a Japanese-style house, drinking.
His chest was bare, and several rather attractive women pressed against him.
Hanzo of the Salamander deserved the greatest credit for Amegakure's growth from a "small village" to its present size.
Thus, his prestige and position in the Land of Rain were unshakable.
Without him, the Land of Rain would not be what it was today.
But with this shinobi world war having reached this point, Hanzō knew perfectly well... this was as far as it went.
There was nothing he could do about Konoha or Sunagakure.
The Land of Rain's territory could expand no further... this war was nearing its end, and there was no need for him to make any unnecessary moves.
He had already gained what he should.
He was now the Demigod of the Ninja World, after all.
Yet as he listened to the report from the subordinate kneeling before him... his gaze turned cold, and a trace of murderous intent appeared between his brows.
Compared to the clans and talent of the major ninja villages, Amegakure's foundations were simply too weak... although he had trained batch after batch of troops and subordinates, they were nothing but a joke compared with Sunagakure and Konoha.
There were no commanders capable of shouldering major responsibilities...
He had to handle everything personally. Otherwise... this pack of useless subordinates could never do things to his satisfaction.
"Three people... raided our border outposts nearly ten times, and you still let them escape!" Hanzō said coldly.
"My lord... among those three is Arai, who serves at the Third Kazekage's side. He's an elite jōnin of Sunagakure, as well as a member of the Kazekage's guard... another is Chiyo's grandson, Sunagakure's genius puppeteer, Sasori..." The trembling Amegakure ninja kneeling before the table tried to explain.
Border clashes between Sunagakure and Amegakure happened often and were perfectly normal.
They were nothing worth dwelling on.
But this incident was somewhat different.
There were only three of them... and they had invaded their territory ten times in a single month. Although Amegakure discovered them each time, they quickly fled.
But they only escaped after killing quite a few Amegakure ninja.
Faced with the same tactic, Amegakure had only become alert after losing a considerable number of people.
They had not even managed to kill a single one of the enemy.
Such negligence and laxity naturally angered Hanzō.
And now, the explanation his subordinate offered... was that the enemy included an elite jōnin who was difficult to deal with.
He was trying to inflate the enemy's strength to make excuses for himself.
Bang!
Suddenly, Hanzō formed hand seals and used the Water Body Flicker Technique, flashing behind the kneeling Amegakure ninja.
Then he swung his fist hard.
The heavy, powerful punch instantly sent the unresponsive Amegakure ninja flying, smashing through the wooden wall several meters away in a spray of crimson blood.
Had this subordinate not mentioned Sasori, it would have been one thing. Mentioning Sasori only made Hanzō angrier.
He was that old hag Chiyo's grandson, after all.
He and that old hag did not get along at all.
Of the several setbacks they had suffered in the war between Amegakure and Sunagakure, ninety percent had been because of that old hag.
Now he was being told that the old hag had a genius grandson... Hanzō could not feel happy about that at all.
Seeing Hanzō shake the blood from his fist, the women were so frightened they barely dared to breathe.
"Sasori?"
Hanzō took a few steps forward, his cold eyes fixed on a sheet of paper on the table. It recorded the course of the three-man team's raids on the border outposts... along with Amegakure's casualties.
There were also simple sketches on the paper.
Arai... Hanzō knew him.
As for Sasori... he had heard of him too.
Who was the other child?
Another genius?
Hanzō narrowed his eyes... geniuses, geniuses... why did these major ninja villages always have geniuses emerging?!
"Heh."
Suddenly, Hanzō gave a cold laugh.
He had seen plenty of geniuses in the shinobi world, but few survived.
Most died young.
If he remembered correctly, Chiyo's younger generation... had died at the hands of Konoha's White Fang.
This Sasori... was an orphan.
The Land of Rain's next task would mainly be defense. They would no longer take the initiative to attack... but the flames of war between Sunagakure and Konoha showed no sign of weakening.
"Someone!"
Hanzō called in a deep voice.
As soon as he spoke, a dark shadow flashed through the room, and an Amegakure ninja knelt behind him.
"Send this intelligence over to Konoha... place particular emphasis on these two boys. The more you can inflate their reputations as geniuses, the better. As for our side, say we suffered heavy losses..." Hanzō said slowly.
"This..."
The Amegakure ninja raised his head, somewhat startled.
"Do as I say!"
"Yes!"