Chapter 104: The Fat Sheep Offers Its Own Wool

"Secret techniques..." Kyoichi was still pondering over Ice Release. He had acquired the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, but it didn’t include secret techniques like Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. Of course… It wouldn’t be hard to develop it himself. The real question was whether it was necessary. After some thought— Not necessary! Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals was strong, but too simplistic. He could already achieve high-speed movement through other means. Rather than wasting time on that, it would be better to think about how to integrate Ice Release into his existing system. For example… Combining motion-based genjutsu with reflective ice mirrors. Kyoichi started contemplating. However— Before he could think too deeply, something came up. Yamanaka Inoichi had arrived. "Kyoichi-sama, this is everything we’ve extracted from Biwa Jūzō’s mind. There’s nothing more we can get." Inoichi sighed. There were too few skilled personnel here, and if they had sent the body back to the village without him, they wouldn’t have been able to extract much. Kyoichi took the report. The Yamanaka Clan could extract intelligence from the minds of the dead, but death still caused significant data degradation. The information was fragmented. Scanning through it quickly— Three key points stood out. Silent Killing Technique, Hidden Mist Jutsu, and intelligence on the Third Mizukage. "The Mizukage is gravely ill and won’t survive another year." Kyoichi’s gaze sharpened. He had already heard about the Third Mizukage’s condition from Hōzuki Chikage, but Biwa Jūzō’s intel provided more details. "According to the latest intel I extracted from Ameyuri Ringo, Hōzuki Chizuru intends to compete for the Mizukage’s seat." "Him?" Kyoichi wasn’t looking down on Hōzuki Chizuru. But based on what he had gathered, this guy had been obsessed with launching attacks on Nagano Mountain—trying to mimic his own ambush tactics without analyzing the situation. It was sheer recklessness. Isobu… Kyoichi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Inoichi-senpai, do you think Yagura might have already returned to Kirigakure?" "Returned?" Inoichi was momentarily surprised. "It’s possible. If the Hōzuki Clan is aiming for power, this would be his best chance to push back." "What’s the situation in the north?" "Kumogakure has stationed troops in the Land of Fields, and for now, they’re engaging in skirmishes. The daimyo of the Land of Fields has sent formal requests for aid." The daimyo of the Land of Fields? Konoha currently didn’t have much spare capacity to deal with Kumogakure. Moreover, Kumo wasn’t acting alone—they had an alliance with Iwagakure. This wasn’t just a northern problem. The western front was also under immense pressure. Besides… The daimyo’s sincerity in seeking aid was questionable. Kyoichi didn’t concern himself with that. His focus was making sure he had no reinforcements to spare for his own frontlines. "As for Kirigakure, I believe we can afford to delay. They’re bound to seek a ceasefire soon." Inoichi speculated. Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Sunagakure had fallen to the bottom in terms of power, but Kirigakure wasn’t far ahead of them. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were considered one of their strongest assets— Yet just three Konoha shinobi had taken them down effortlessly! That battle record was terrifying. Enough to make Kirigakure think twice. If they had any sense, they wouldn’t dare push this war further. Kyoichi considered this carefully before shaking his head. "No, we can’t let this drag on. Right now, Kumo and Iwa haven’t begun their full-scale offensive. Once they do, Kirigakure’s stance could change drastically. We need to secure their complete surrender now!" "You mean—?" "We won’t wait for them to negotiate. We’ll force them to surrender!" Kyoichi’s voice was resolute. The Land of Water was no pushover. Besides Kirigakure’s current forces, they still had the Kaguya Clan and the Yuki Clan. A full-scale war wouldn’t be easy to win. But— If they waited until the other villages launched their attacks, any negotiations with Kirigakure would become a completely different game. "Do Not Seek Fame Like the Overlord" Yamanaka Inoichi pondered for a long time before finally nodding. He had to admit— Kyoichi’s reasoning was sound. Kirigakure was simply biding its time. Negotiating now versus negotiating later would result in entirely different terms. Konoha couldn’t afford hesitation. For someone as young as Kyoichi to think this far ahead was impressive. Thinking deeper— This kid seemed to have something insightful to say in every field. It was almost unbelievable. Inoichi admired him, but at the same time, he started wondering— Since Kyoichi was so firm in his stance, why hadn’t he taken action yet? Was he waiting for the Police Force? No… A memory flashed through his mind—the sight of Might Duy opening the Seventh Gate and unleashing a single punch in the form of a roaring tiger. He’s waiting for Duy! And he was right. Duy’s stamina had actually recovered by today, but his body still needed more time to heal properly—rushing into battle too soon could leave lasting damage. Kyoichi wasn’t willing to gamble with his future. So— What harm was there in giving Kirigakure a few more days? --- Northwest: Amegakure Inside Hanzo’s stronghold, an orange-haired man in a cloak stepped inside. “Yahiko, what’s the situation?” “Hanzo-sama, Iwagakure wants us to stay out of their war with Konoha. In return, they promise not to interfere with us.” Yahiko spoke with respect. Hanzo fell silent. He was weighing the pros and cons—remaining neutral would ensure that Amegakure stayed uninvolved in the war. However… What about the future? Konoha and Iwagakure were both formidable. He sighed, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness once again. After a long silence, he turned to Yahiko and asked, “And what do you think?” “Hanzo-sama, I believe we should agree,” Yahiko replied. Hanzo looked at him, his gaze sharp. “Have you considered Konoha? Danzo is not someone to be trifled with.” “I have!” Yahiko nodded, but he remained firm. “By staying out of the war, we gain three advantages. First, Amegakure gets time to recover. Second, as neighboring countries descend into chaos, our stability will attract a wave of refugees, increasing our population.” “…Hmm?” Hanzo looked at Yahiko curiously as he pulled out a map. It displayed the current power distribution of the shinobi world. “Third, without experiencing the suffering of war, the smaller villages will never support our vision of unification. Only by letting them endure war—by letting them feel pain—will they finally come together.” Yahiko’s voice was resolute. Kyoichi’s words flashed through his mind. Over the past few weeks, he had been contemplating how to change their current situation. This war had helped him truly grasp the meaning behind those words—filling him with hope. Hanzo fell silent. He was well aware of Yahiko’s ideals. In fact, when the kid had first sought him out, he had claimed to admire Hanzo’s philosophy and wanted to help achieve his dream. At the time, Hanzo thought it was just an excuse to gain favor. Amegakure didn’t produce many geniuses. So, he had let Yahiko and his group stay, granting them official shinobi status. But now… It turned out Yahiko genuinely wanted to help him achieve peace. “Peace… Even I had almost forgotten about it. Yet someone still remembers.” seaʀᴄh thё nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hanzo sighed. That dream felt too distant. However— He couldn’t deny that Yahiko’s logic made sense. Without experiencing the horrors of war, smaller villages wouldn’t seek unity. They would continue believing war had nothing to do with them—at worst, they could just side with a stronger village. That kind of thinking was laughable. After a long silence, Hanzo finally spoke. “And if Konoha and Iwagakure decide to unite against us first?” “Then we side with Sunagakure!” Yahiko answered without hesitation. “Sunagakure is the weakest of the Five Great Nations. Right now, they’re barely any different from us. If we join them, we’ll hold significant influence, and they need our strength just as much as we need theirs.” “…Go ahead.” Hanzo didn’t say much more. Yahiko was overjoyed, quickly bowing and running out of the office. After a long pause, Hanzo got up and walked to another location. Someone was waiting for him. “Hanzo-sama, have you made your decision?” “We can’t afford to offend either you or Iwagakure. So, in this war, Amegakure will remain neutral. However, we are willing to trade ninja tools and explosive tags with you.” Hanzo stated his decision. Danzo raised an eyebrow, then smirked coldly. “Still clinging to your old ideals?” “I’m simply tired of war and don’t want to be involved anymore. As for my old ideals… Heh, who hasn’t been young and naive before? Danzo, you should leave. If you’re interested in trade, have your people negotiate with my subordinates.” Hanzo waved him off and disappeared into the shadows. Yes… Even he thought Yahiko was still young and naive. But hadn’t he once been the same? There was a time when he, too, had wanted to challenge the Three Great Shinobi Villages on his own. Danzo narrowed his eyes but didn’t linger. The outcome was somewhat unexpected. Still, Amegakure’s neutrality was better than them siding with Iwagakure. Meanwhile, Kyoichi Receives Another Reward It wasn’t much… Just an ordinary Water Release jutsu. The reason given: “Practical Training Session.” Kyoichi thought about it for a while and still couldn’t figure out where the reward had come from. “Looks like my students have grown up—they’re even repaying their teacher now. How touching.” He sighed in amusement. It was a small token, but it was the thought that counted. Still, at this point, his arsenal of jutsu was extensive. A basic Water Release jutsu didn’t mean much. Better to spend time refining the Hidden Mist Jutsu. Of course— Not just for himself. This technique was incredibly practical. His plan was for the entire village to learn it—the more shinobi who mastered it, the better. Not just the Hidden Mist Jutsu—Silent Killing as well. The former wasn’t too difficult to teach, but the latter was tricky to master. If it were easy, Zabuza Momochi wouldn’t have been so famous for it. For the past few days, Kyoichi had been compiling training materials. Finally— “Inoichi-senpai, could you gather all shinobi who have mastered Water Release nature transformation? We’ll train them in the Hidden Mist Jutsu and these techniques.” “…Understood!” Inoichi himself knew Water Release nature transformation. In fact, he had been practicing the jutsu these past few days and had made decent progress. But when he glanced at the scroll Kyoichi handed him— Whoa! The notes were incredibly detailed, outlining multiple advanced techniques for using the Hidden Mist Jutsu—more comprehensive than anything they had extracted from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Then Kyoichi handed over another scroll. This one was on Silent Killing. “It’s not complete yet, but at least they should understand how it works. They don’t need to master it—just knowing how to counter it is enough.” “…Understood!” Inoichi took the scroll and left. As for the reward Kyoichi could have earned from personally teaching them? He couldn’t be bothered. Jōnin were too smart. Besides, the Hidden Mist Jutsu was only a C-rank jutsu. As long as someone knew Water Release nature transformation, it wasn’t difficult to learn. Even if he participated directly, the reward wouldn’t be much higher than just writing the materials. Better to spend his time on more important things.