Chapter 189: Could Be… The Target Is Itachi!

“No one seriously thinks the reason Flying Thunder God is classified as a forbidden jutsu is just because it’s difficult to learn, right? Sure, the difficulty makes it unsuitable for widespread use, but that alone isn’t why it’s forbidden.” Kyoichi spoke calmly. “One reason is that space-time ninjutsu is inherently dangerous—a single misstep and you could be torn apart by the backlash of the dimensional forces. The other reason is that very few people have the reflexes fast enough to handle it.” Sёarᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “Then… how do you get around that?” Asuma understood now, but he still couldn’t come up with a solution on the spot. Kyoichi glanced around. Guy wasn’t here… Pity… He turned to Obito and asked, “You’ve been training with Guy lately, haven’t you? Figured anything out?” “Guy?” Obito looked confused at first, then slipped into deep thought. Now that he thought about it… Guy and his father’s Eight Gates technique was indeed an ultra-high-speed taijutsu style, yet neither of them ever seemed to have issues with reaction time. He thought it over carefully and answered, hesitantly, “Training?” “Exactly. Constant training—drilling taijutsu into your body until it becomes muscle memory, until it turns into pure instinct. That way, reaction time isn’t such a limiting factor. Sometimes, your body will move faster than your brain.” “Uh…” Obito suddenly felt like he was being called out. But… Kyoichi never mentioned his name… Was he imagining it? He fell into quiet contemplation. Asuma nodded after thinking it over. “I get it now, Sensei. For someone like me, who fights up close, I should train more to develop that kind of muscle memory.” “Right. And not just you—it applies to everyone,” Kyoichi said. Everyone nodded in agreement. At that moment, Shisui asked, “Sensei, then from the perspective of the Sharingan, how should we deal with this kind of issue?” “The Sharingan has incredible insight—it’s usually very effective against taijutsu. But if your opponent moves faster than even the Sharingan can track, or if you can see it but still can’t react in time… then there’s no way to counter it.” The Sharingan works like slow-motion with predictive tracking. But even so… If the opponent is fast enough, you still won’t be able to keep up. In the past, someone from the Konoha Military Police would’ve definitely jumped in to argue—after all, the Sharingan was their pride, their legacy, and not to be “slandered.” But now… After the Eastern Front campaign, everyone knew Kyoichi was telling the truth. There really were people who moved too fast for the Sharingan to follow—and not just one. Might Duy, Kanda Kyoichi, and Namikaze Minato with his Flying Thunder God. All of them were virtually impossible for Sharingan users to handle. So now… Even if they were frustrated, no one could refute it. They just sat there silently, swallowing their pride. “…I understand,” Shisui nodded. He got what Kyoichi was saying. When facing opponents like that, your only options were to match their reflexes—or match their speed. The first was nearly impossible. But the second… With techniques like Respiratory Activation or Lightning Release Chakra Mode , it was achievable. If others could train for it, so could the Uchiha. Take Obito, for example. Wasn’t he training taijutsu now? He even… Was rumored to have worn that ridiculous, embarrassingly tight bodysuit. “Obito, you did okay this time, but there were still a lot of mistakes. Like when you ran into Yugito—you couldn’t win, but you couldn’t outrun her either?” “But Aoba and Rin couldn’t run,” Obito protested. “Then why didn’t you try to hold Yugito off first, give them time to escape? She’s a close-range specialist—you should’ve used ninjutsu to bombard her from a distance instead of rushing in.” Kyoichi sighed. He’d already explained to Obito how to coordinate with teammates. If you’re teamed with Kakashi and Rin, your job is to draw fire and create opportunities. If you’re teamed with a support-type, then you go in and strike. But… This kid clearly only remembered the last part. There was some progress—but not much. Obito had no comeback. He… forgot… But really, how was he supposed to know Yugito was that fast? She almost ripped him apart with one claw. It was only thanks to quick reflexes that he managed to dodge in time. “As for Aoba, there’s not much more to say. Just keep at it.” “Yes, thank you, Kyoichi-sensei,” Yamashiro Aoba bowed. During past missions and training sessions, Kyoichi had already guided him plenty. Further development in genjutsu and crow-based abilities. Filling in the gaps in taijutsu and ninjutsu. Two distinct directions—now it was up to Aoba to figure out which path to take. Kyoichi then sat down. “Everyone else—take a moment to reflect on your shortcomings. Their team exceeded my expectations, so I gave them some extra feedback. You don’t get that luxury. Speak up.” He wasn’t just saying that for effect. Even if Obito was a bit dense, all the hard training had paid off. Working with Aoba and Rin, they held off Yugito for quite a while. Yes, they were ultimately defeated—but that wasn’t their fault. Yugito really was strong. And that was even with Kyoichi suppressing her Tailed Beast chakra. If she had full access to it, Kyoichi suspected she might’ve already been capable of using Tailed Beast Mode freely. Kumogakure’s sealing techniques were weak, but that actually made it easier for their Jinchūriki to communicate with their Tailed Beasts. Once they earned that trust, their mastery of Tailed Beast power skyrocketed. Both Killer B and Yugito showed signs of this. Unfortunately… Konoha couldn’t copy that approach. Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had made such enemies of the Nine-Tails that reconciliation with Konoha seemed unlikely anytime soon. After all… Kushina wasn’t Naruto. She didn’t have that silver tongue, and the current Nine-Tails hadn’t yet been humbled by reality. It still lived in its pride as a Tailed Beast. Fortunately… Even if Konoha couldn’t subdue the Tailed Beast, they could still deal with its host. Even full transformation into a Tailed Beast could be suppressed with Adamantine Sealing Chains. That was the true strength of the Uzumaki clan. As the students discussed, Kyoichi let his mind drift a little. He couldn’t help it… Listening to their scattered chatter without a real point made him drowsy. Not because they weren’t trying, but because their thinking was still limited. “I think when facing Kusagakure ninja, we should look for weaknesses in their individual jutsu or tactics. Same goes for Iwagakure, though they’re harder to deal with due to their strong defenses.” Finally, someone said something useful! Kyoichi perked up and turned toward the voice… It was Nara Tayuen. No wonder—he was a Nara. Everyone in that clan had a sharp mind. While Tayuen wasn’t quite on the level of Shikaku or Shikamaru, he was definitely one of the standouts among the Genin. “Well said. But you overlooked one thing—just as we’re improving, so are they. What’s a weakness now may not be a weakness later.” Kyoichi had to interrupt. Rigid pre-planned strategies were a last resort. The best tactics were always the ones that could adapt in real-time to battlefield intelligence. Tayuen froze for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right. Thank you for the insight, Kyoichi-sensei.” Shisui didn’t think that deeply. His strength wasn’t in strategy, but in dynamic battlefield response—nothing more to add there. Kyoichi stayed a while longer, offered a few more pointers… He had been about to dismiss everyone. But then… He stood up, turned, and spotted Fugaku in the distance, wearing his usual grim expression. The guy… What was he up to now? Kyoichi walked over. Fugaku nodded slightly, forcing a smile. “Kyoichi-kun, the Hokage mentioned that he’d step down after the Chūnin Exams and a new Hokage would be elected. Do you know when the reorganization of the Konoha Military Police will begin? Also… could we recruit some of these students into the Police?” “Let’s hold off on Genin for now.” Kyoichi frowned. He knew the Uchiha had a tradition of bringing young shinobi into the Police Force early on. But… That was back when the Uchiha ran it alone—passing down the legacy made sense. Now it was open to all of Konoha. Recruiting Genin now would just drain their potential. Fugaku nodded. “That makes sense. We’ll follow the village’s arrangements. But as for the Uchiha clan…” “Same rules.” Kyoichi understood what this guy was really asking for. He wanted Uchiha kids to join normal Jōnin teams like Obito and Shisui—so he brought this up as a roundabout way to argue for it. Passive-aggressive. Manipulative. It was a common political tactic—but Kyoichi didn’t like it. That’s why, when Tsunade took office, he made sure to sweep out people like Mitokado Homura and Koharu. And now Fugaku… Fine. When Shisui got older, kicking this guy out of his post would be the smart move. Kyoichi was annoyed. But thinking of Black Zetsu and Madara, he leaned in and said quietly, “The reorganization of the Police Force is critical. Please, Fugaku-san—stay vigilant. If you ever need help, just say the word.” “Understood. I will.” Fugaku nodded. Kyoichi didn’t say anything else. He returned to the students, chatted briefly, then turned and walked away. In his mind, the more dangerous dissenters within the Uchiha clan needed to be quietly restrained. But Fugaku… Would never agree to that kind of decision. A crack in the egg always leaves room for exploitation. Both Black Zetsu and Madara were masters at manipulating hearts and minds. The Uchiha were likely on the verge of plunging into chaos—and that chaos wasn’t far off. Preparations needed to be made in advance. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Kyoichi left the Police Force headquarters and returned straight to the Anbu division. Let the Uchiha descend into turmoil if they must, but the Police Force and the Research Institute—those absolutely could not fall into disarray. Especially the Anbu and Research Institute’s classified material on Wood Release— it had to be locked down tightly. Any leak could give Black Zetsu the opening he needed. As for the Uchiha? Let the chaos take root first—then come down hard and clean house. He wasn’t afraid of Madara and Black Zetsu sowing dissent among the Uchiha. What worried him more was the opposite: that they wouldn’t act at all, letting the rot fester quietly until it poisoned everything from within. That would be even more revolting. Still… Kyoichi was almost certain Madara had come this time to scout for a candidate. The old bastard was getting on in years. And besides… Nagato was currently following Hanzō. Madara had no way to surface from underground, so without a puppet to act in his stead, he’d be stuck waiting for Yahiko and Hanzō to drop dead on their own before he could steer Nagato back onto his intended path. Shisui… Obito… Now that he thought about it, was it possible that Madara’s target was actually Itachi? The thought hit Kyoichi like a jolt. Itachi wasn’t even two years old yet. That age made him easy to care for, with an undeveloped mind and no personal convictions—a blank slate. Compared to that… Obito had already been trained and molded—twisted, even. While he’d grown stronger, he’d also matured mentally, making him far less susceptible to manipulation. If Madara tried to abduct him now, it would be a real headache. Besides… Madara hadn’t fixated on Obito from the start. In the original timeline, his involvement was more coincidental than deliberate. If he were Madara… At this point in time, he might find Itachi the more appealing choice.