https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-488-Insights-into-the-Sun-s-Breath/12558734/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-490-Capturing-Nine-Tailed-Beasts-Just-for-a-Class-/12558736/
Chapter 489: Unlocking Potential
Chapter 489: Unlocking Potential
In the Land of Grass, a village surrounded by lush greenery, the leader of the grass ninjas greeted the renowned Rock Fist, Huang Tu, with flattering words, acknowledging his fame and influence. Though in terms of their positions, the grass ninja leader seemed superior as a head of a ninja village, while Huang Tu was merely the son of the leader of the Rock Ninja Village. However, in reality, their statuses were on equal footing. Huang Tu was the heir to one of the Five Great Ninja Villages and a renowned figure in the ninja world, making his influence far-reaching.
Huang Tu acknowledged the greeting with a slight nod, wasting no time on pleasantries and cutting straight to the chase. He assured the grass ninja leader that he understood their anger toward the rampant actions of the Konoha ninjas within the Land of Grass. He presented a meticulously crafted plan devised by the Rock Ninja Village to defeat Konoha without implicating the grass ninjas and bringing relief to the suffering land.
The Land of Grass shared a border with the Fire Country, and to alleviate the concerns of the grass ninjas, the Rock ninjas would assist in disguising the grass ninjas as their own. They sought the strength of the grass ninjas without requiring them to openly ally with the Rock Ninja Village in their battle against Konoha.
The grass ninja leader pondered the proposal, acknowledging that the plan presented by the Rock ninjas sounded enticing for both parties involved. For the grass ninjas, a successful execution of the plan would mean the end of the ongoing war within their territory and the avoidance of offending the mighty Konoha. As for the Rock ninjas, victory over the Konoha ninja forces would bring them renown within the ninja world and weaken the power of a rival country, pushing the war towards the heart of the Fire Country.
On the surface, it seemed like a win-win strategy. But was it truly as perfect as it seemed? As the grass ninja leader reflected on the conversation, he realized that Huang Tu had omitted one crucial detail—how could they guarantee victory over the formidable Konoha ninja forces? Winning the war was the foundation for the promised benefits. Failure would not only result in defeat but also potentially expose the grass ninjas.
The Konoha ninja forces were not to be underestimated; they were strong, led by Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin renowned since the Second Great Ninja War. The ranks of the Konoha forces also included many seasoned and experienced ninjas among their jonin and chuunin.
"Those Konoha ninjas are despicable! We grass ninjas will do everything in our power to assist your village in defeating them!" The grass ninja leader agreed to the collaboration with a furious expression.
The Rock ninjas had devised a cunning plan, but it also presented an opportunity for the grass ninja leader's own schemes. He would not simply react to Konoha's actions within the Land of Grass; he had his own agenda. If anything, it was the Rock Ninja Village that had declared war on Konoha, drawing the battle to the Land of Grass.
Huang Tu wore a satisfied smile, confident that this war might be their chance to dominate the ninja world and establish the Hidden Stone Village as the foremost power. Everything was progressing smoothly, and he left two jonin from the Hidden Stone Village as liaisons before departing to return to his village. His task was complete, and it was now up to the other Hidden Stone ninjas to continue the mission. Huang Tu's role was to report the details of his assignment to Dai Nomaki upon his return to the Hidden Stone Village.
"Leader Yokokawa, I have a feeling that the Rock ninjas' plan isn't as ideal as it seems. We must be cautious," said Mukyo, one of the grass ninjas, once they were sure they were alone and out of earshot of the Rock ninjas.
Yokokawa nodded in agreement. "Your instincts are correct. These major ninja villages have never truly considered us smaller villages as equals. This so-called collaboration is merely a convenient tool for them to find a suitable weapon."
"But with danger comes opportunity," Mukyo continued. "The Land of Grass has been dormant for too long. It's time for us to rise."
Yokokawa and a group of his trusted followers, including Mukyo, made their way to a secluded forest on the outskirts of the grass ninja village. With a series of hand seals, Yokokawa revealed a hidden entrance—a portal that led underground.
Without hesitation, Yokokawa leaped into the opening, and his followers swiftly followed suit.
"Leader!" The grass ninjas guarding the underground research facility greeted Yokokawa with respect.
Yokokawa acknowledged them with a nod and then turned his attention to the center of the facility, where a massive box with a peculiar appearance stood. The box had four sides, each bearing a human face with a distinct expression—anger, sadness, and a range of emotions.
Yokokawa approached the box and ran his hand over its surface. The material was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He and his most trusted followers had once tried to use their strongest ninjutsu on the box, but it hadn't left even a scratch on its surface.
"It's just a box that absorbs chakra, yet legends say it has the power to grant any wish..." Yokokawa trailed off, his voice filled with a mixture of awe and ambition.
"But with danger comes opportunity," Mukyo continued. "The Land of Grass has been dormant for too long; it's time for us to rise."
Yokokawa and a group of his trusted followers, including Mukyo, made their way to a secluded forest on the outskirts of the Grass ninja village. With a series of hand seals, Yokokawa revealed a hidden entrance—a portal that led underground.
Without hesitation, Yokokawa leaped into the opening, and his followers swiftly followed.
"Leader!" the Grass ninjas guarding the underground research facility greeted Yokokawa with respect.
Yokokawa acknowledged them with a nod and then turned his attention to the center of the facility, where a peculiar box with four sides stood. Each side bore a distinct human face expressing a range of emotions—anger, sadness, and more.
Yokokawa approached the box and ran his hand over its surface, feeling a material unlike anything he had encountered before. He and his most trusted followers had once tried to use their strongest ninjutsu on the box, but it hadn't left even a scratch.
"It's just a box that absorbs chakra, yet legends say it's the Paradise Box created by the Six Paths Sage, capable of granting any wish..." Yokokawa trailed off, his voice a mixture of awe and ambition.
"Indeed, it is said that the Six Paths Sage, the founder of the ninja world, created this box. But I don't believe it can truly grant all wishes." Yokokawa patted the box, which felt as hard as ever. "After all, if it could, why would the Six Paths Sage disappear, and why would the Ninja Sect splinter and vanish?"
Mukyo looked at him, puzzled, as many within the Grass-Realms did believe in the legend of the Paradise Box.
Yokokawa had initially pushed for the cooperation with the Rock Ninja Village by suggesting that intensifying the conflict between Rock and Konoha would lead to more ninja deaths, providing the necessary 'nutrients' to open the Paradise Box.
Mukyo was a bit confused. "If you don't believe in the legend of the Paradise Box, why involve ourselves in the war between Konoha and the Rock Ninja Village?"
"I'm sure it can't grant wishes like eternal life, but I believe it can enhance our strength. That's a small wish that it should be able to fulfill." Yokokawa smiled and patted Mukyo's shoulder.
He hadn't thought much of the Paradise Box until the sudden rise of Sou Usuke, who had used the so-called Ninja Sect's legacy to rebuild the Ninja Sect and surpass Hanzou the Salamander, becoming a top-tier powerhouse in the ninja world.
The Paradise Box was, after all, created by the founder of the Ninja Sect, the Six Paths Sage. Surely it couldn't be inferior to that supposed Ninja Sect's legacy.
Yokokawa was taking a gamble. He didn't expect the box to grant wishes that would allow the Grass ninjas to rule the world. But if it could give him the power to surpass Sou Usuke, then the Grass ninjas would have a chance to rise again.
...
Sunday.
Konoha Village, Southern Forest.
"Good morning, Kakashi-senpai," Yamato said, raising his right hand slightly in greeting as he spotted the approaching Kakashi.
Kakashi looked at Yamato sternly. "If you want to be a ninja, speak up! Don't be so soft!"
Yamato instinctively obeyed Kakashi's instruction and loudly greeted him, "Good morning, Kakashi-senpai!"
"Also, I prefer my juniors to greet me with their left hand," Kakashi added, examining Yamato closely before saying this in all seriousness.
Yamato: ...
Kakashi-senpai was so strict!
Even Danzo Shimura didn't care whether he used his left or right hand to greet him.
"Good morning, let's make today a productive one," Kakashi said, encouraging Yamato before stopping at an appropriate point.
Yamato breathed a sigh of relief and began practicing basic breathing exercises in various postures.
After about ten minutes, all the disciples had arrived.
Concerned about Gyarados' loneliness at home, Rin Nohara summoned it to the small river in the Southern Forest as soon as she arrived.
Following Mu Yue's guidance, Rin Nohara didn't train Gyarados like Kakashi did with his Houndoom, Leo. Instead, she took meticulous care of it, grooming its body and praising it to boost its confidence.
"Shizuku, how did you teach Sobble ninjutsu?" Obito, who had been unsuccessful in teaching fire release to his Pokemon, sought advice from Shizuku, who had hatched Totodile earlier.
Logically, Kakashi, being the first to hatch his Pokemon, should have the most experience. But Obito couldn't bear the thought of Kakashi's likely reaction, so he decided to ask his clan brother instead.
"I didn't teach it ninjutsu," Shizuku replied, shaking his head.
Obito scratched his hair.
"I think it's better to first train their innate abilities right after they're born, like Sobble's illusion abilities," Shizuku suggested.
First, Shizuku felt that there was too much for the Pokemon to learn from scratch, and second, he believed that their innate abilities held great potential and needed to be explored further.
After studying Sobble's illusion abilities carefully, Shizuku found them to be quite interesting.
Illusions were created by using chakra to interfere with an opponent's five senses, causing them to fall into a trance.
Based on this understanding, illusions could be used in various ways, such as visual illusions that affected what the opponent saw and auditory illusions that manipulated the sounds they heard.
Although Sobble's illusion was relatively easy to dispel, the condition for its activation was incredibly simple, leading Itachi to believe it would be extremely useful in chaotic battles.
"Let me give it a try," Obito said, deciding to focus on his own training for the time being and continue pondering ways to strengthen his Charmander during their break.
"It has to be fire-related. Since Kakashi's Houndoom can control the rocks around its neck to attack, perhaps Charmander can do the same with the flames on its tail!"
Obito's eyes lit up as an idea suddenly struck him, and he quickly asked Charmander to give it a try.
Charmander wanted to scratch its head but found its arms too short, so it settled for scratching its face instead, staring up at Obito.
No matter how much Obito emphasized the importance of using its tail flames for attacks, Charmander simply couldn't grasp the concept yet.
"Flamethrower! Flamethrower!"
Charmander waved its arms, trying to convey its difficulties to Obito.
Obito scratched the back of his head, perplexed by Charmander's sudden animated gestures.
"Are you trying to tell me that you want to learn how to dance?" Obito stroked his chin, attempting to interpret Charmander's actions.
Charmander grew anxious and pointed toward its tail with its tiny arms before frantically waving its hands.
"You want to... get rid of your tail?" Obito interpreted Charmander's gestures.
Boom.
Charmander fell to the ground, knocked out by its foolish contractor.
"Itachi, can I borrow your Sobble for a moment?"
Seeing the communication breakdown between man and beast, Obito called upon the translator.
"Flamethrower! Flamethrower!" Sobble continued to insist that it couldn't use its tail flames for attacks.
"I see," Sobble said with a knowing look on its face after listening to Charmander's explanation.
"What did it say?" Obito curiously asked Sobble.
"It said that it won't use its tail flames for attacks, and it wants you to buy delicious treats for the great and honorable Sobble," Sobble translated with an innocent expression.
"Itachi, take your fox back," Obito said as he grabbed Sobble by the back of its neck and returned it to Itachi's side.
Buy treats? Did it take him for a fool? This was clearly Sobble's own personal agenda.
Obito continued to explore Charmander's abilities, and just as he began to question whether it truly excelled in Fire-type moves, Charmander opened its mouth and released a small burst of flame.
Obito's face lit up with delight, already envisioning a future where his Charmander soundly defeated Itachi's fox with fiery blasts.
As Obito watched the other disciples playing with their summoned beasts during their break, Yamato's eyes glimmered with envy. Having a summoned beast of his own would certainly make his solitary life more interesting.
When Yamato noticed Mu Yue looking in his direction, he quickly adjusted his expression.
Although he longed for a summoned beast, Yamato didn't want to trouble Mu Yue, who had already done so much for him.
"Would you like to join me for dinner?" Kakashi offered, noticing the solitary Yamato after their training session.
"Are you sure? Don't you need to go home, Senpai Kakashi?" Yamato asked, surprised by the invitation.
"It's just me at home, so it doesn't matter when I get back," Kakashi replied calmly.
Yamato was taken aback, realizing that Kakashi, like him, was an orphan with no parents.
Perhaps due to their shared circumstances, Yamato found himself accepting Kakashi's invitation.
"However, as your senior, I expect you to show some respect on our first meal together," Kakashi hinted.
Yamato subconsciously reached for his empty wallet.
With no parents and no missions under his belt, he only had the meager living allowance provided by the Root Organization.
"I'll treat you, Senpai," Yamato said, steeling himself.
Had he not been concerned about hurting Kakashi's feelings with his previous comment, Yamato would have declined the dinner invitation and left.
Now, he could only hope that Kakashi wouldn't choose an expensive restaurant, or else he'd be left with no money for his own meals.
To Yamato's dismay, Kakashi didn't opt for the affordable ramen shop but instead led them to a nicely decorated restaurant.
As they settled the bill, Yamato's hand trembled as he reached for his wallet, his heart already filled with tears.
"I was just joking. As your senior, it's only natural for me to treat you to our first meal," Kakashi said, handing over a few bills to the cashier.
Yamato stood there, stunned, gazing at Kakashi's impassive face and, for a moment, finding his mask rather charming.
(End of Chapter)
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