Chapter 333: Compared to Him, Everyone Else Looks Inadequate
"Ne... Kakashi, where do we go now?"
On the bustling streets of Kumogakure, three dejected figures stood at a crossroads, unsure of where to go.
"So the three of us really lost in less than ten seconds..."
Kakashi still hadn't processed it.
Sigh.
The three sighed in unison.
Night had fallen completely. The shops along the street were lit with lanterns, and pedestrians bustled under the streetlights. People who came for the ceremony began to explore the Cloud Village, and occasionally ninja could be seen leaping across rooftops.
No matter how sad they were, they still had to eat. The three wandered aimlessly for a while until they looked up and saw a ramen shop.
The sign "Ichiraku Ramen" was conspicuous under the lights.
For some reason, this roadside shop seemed to have an inexplicable attraction for the three of them.
They exchanged glances and walked in. A young chef with a kind face greeted them, "Welcome!"
The three ordered three bowls of ramen listlessly. The owner seemed to notice his young customers didn't want to talk much, so he didn't disturb them.
While waiting for the ramen, Obito couldn't help but say, "I clearly activated my Sharingan, how could I still get caught in a Genjutsu?!"
Kakashi said helplessly, "And it was an unknown visual jutsu... That person's eyes were strange, probably far more powerful than the Sharingan."
Might Guy recalled his interaction with the bear mother in the illusion and shuddered involuntarily.
Obito retorted unhappily, "Impossible! The Sharingan is the strongest eye in the ninja world! And Kakashi, how did you lose?"
"...He has an ability to pull people in and push them away... Too little intel."
Thinking of the embarrassment of being grabbed by the neck directly, Kakashi's face burned.
He was too shocked at the time. actually, he should have tried to adjust his movements mid-air to counterattack...
Obito sighed. "Is the Cloud Village this amazing...? I thought we were geniuses..."
"Pfft!"
A customer next to them burst out laughing.
The three turned to look and saw a dark-skinned, burly man covering his mouth, laughing.
Three pairs of dead fish eyes stared at him, expressing that this was very rude...
"Sorry, sorry... I couldn't hold it in, cough cough..."
The burly man coughed a few times before recovering. "It was rude of me to laugh out loud. How about I treat you to this meal?"
Obito said angrily, "What's so funny, Uncle? Which part of what we said made you laugh?"
The man paused. "Calling me Uncle... Well, it was just hearing you call yourselves geniuses... After all, it's rare for people to call themselves geniuses."
Obito argued, "It's not self-proclaimed! Many people in the village call us geniuses!"
He lied. actually, people only called Kakashi and Guy geniuses; no one called him that... He called himself that...
The man said, "Judging by your attire, did you come from elsewhere to attend school in the Cloud? The Cloud Village generally doesn't call anyone a genius."
Guy asked straightforwardly, "Is it because the Cloud has no geniuses?"
The man scoffed. "How could that be? It's just that in the Cloud Village, the threshold for being a genius is too high."
"Three bowls of ramen, served!"
The owner placed the steaming bowls in front of the young customers. The appetizing smell made their fingers twitch.
Kakashi couldn't help asking, "Uncle, does the Cloud have a ninja who can suck people into his hand and then blast them away? He's slightly older than us."
The burly man actually recognized the description. He paused visibly and said, "You aren't talking about Nagato, are you? That guy beat you up? ...Does he actually bully little kids...?"
The three froze on the spot, unsure of what expression to make. Do we have to admit we're little kids?
The burly man slupred a large mouthful of ramen soup loudly, then comforted them. "Although I don't know exactly what happened between you, losing to Nagato at your age isn't shameful. Although he doesn't look much older than you, he's someone who has fought the Tsuchikage on the battlefield."
The three were clearly shocked, recalling Yotsuki Dana's words.
'You might... face enemies at the level of a Kage in the future.'
Kakashi said unwillingly, "He's not much older than us, yet he can fight the Tsuchikage? Is the high threshold for geniuses in the Cloud because of this Nagato?"
The burly man scratched his head. "Not really. Nagato hasn't been in the Cloud for long. The threshold is high because of someone else."
"Who?"
The man grinned, showing his white teeth.
"Yotsuki Dana!"
The three exchanged glances and suddenly realized they hadn't actually seen Yotsuki Dana fight.
During the Night of the Purple Moon, they were all little beans only qualified to hide in shelters. Later, whether in the Joint Chunin Exams or in Konoha, they basically only saw Yotsuki Dana floating around in the sky.
It was the kind of feeling where... he seemed like he should be strong, but they couldn't say exactly how strong.
Guy asked curiously, "Uncle, was Dana-sama strong when he was a child too? Was he a genius?"
The burly man looked thoughtful and said uncertainly, "I guess so... It seems his special constitution was strong even at the earliest times. But Yotsuki Dana's genius isn't just about strength."
"Then what is it about?"
"Everything."
The man counted on his fingers. "At age 6, he dared to lead a charge against Elite Jonin. At age 9, he led the clan to earn lots and lots of money and established his own department. At age 12, he was active on the battlefield, swaying the victory of the war. At age 15, he dared to conquer Konoha alone. Of course, I think daring to get married so early is also impressive."
"Also expanded the Cloud Village, led all ninja clans to prosperity, and annexed..."
Glancing at the three brats, the man felt he shouldn't say more. He spread his arms wide and declared heroically, "In short, whether in the field of ninjas or outside it, Yotsuki Dana can be called a genius. Compared to him, anyone else would appear inadequate!!"
"...So when someone in the Cloud calls a person a genius, the threshold is quite high. After all, the last recognized genius was Yotsuki Dana."
The three brats were baffled. "Why are you so excited talking about someone else's affairs, Uncle?"
The man crossed his arms and said, "Of course! Yotsuki Dana is the younger brother I'm proud of!"
The three widened their eyes.
"You are Yotsuki Dana's brother?!!! Then aren't you..."
Just then, a graceful yet high-pitched voice rang out from beyond the curtains of Ichiraku Ramen, interrupting the chat.
"Prince Arashi! Are you here? Such a roadside ramen shop... I understand, you are here to experience the life of the common people?"
Yotsuki Arashi, who was excited just a moment ago, instantly looked depressed. POOF! He vanished, leaving a few coins spinning on the counter with a clattering sound.
In the next moment, a lavishly dressed woman, adorned with jewelry, pushed open the curtain with a smile. Not seeing her target, she immediately changed her face, fiercely questioning the servant behind her.
"Didn't you say Prince Arashi was dining here?"
The servant wiped sweat from his forehead. "The information was absolutely reliable. Maybe he finished eating..."
"Investigate again and report back!"
With that, the group hurried away.
Obito sighed. "Even such a heroic uncle is afraid of women... Women are terrifying."
"Wait! Didn't Uncle say he was treating us to ramen?!!!"
Somewhere unknown in the ninja world, an underground space.
Flickering candlelight, dim and eerie.
Two figures walked out slowly. One wore a bone mask; the other was pitch black.
The masked person took out a scroll and slowly opened it. The character for "Snake" was written on it.
Throwing the scroll, a puff of white smoke revealed a grotesque giant snake with hair.
The snake face was extremely ugly, vaguely resembling a human.
The black figure said, "Coming in this form...? Seems you're not having a good time in Konoha either..."
The snake spoke human language. "I don't need your concern. I'm just here to complete the transaction. This is a living clone I modified. Where are the things I asked you to prepare? In this form, I can't form hand seals."
The snake raised its head and saw the masked person. It was the first time seeing this person, but it didn't ask questions. As it said, it was only here for the transaction.
The black figure, Black Zetsu, said, "Naturally, they are ready."
A White Zetsu pushed a bound ninja forward. Judging by the forehead protector, it was an Iwa ninja.
The Iwa ninja was unconscious. The giant snake reared up and plunged into his mouth, drilling into his body. The ninja writhed and struggled, finally transforming slowly into the appearance of Orochimaru's true body.
Orochimaru moved his body and nodded. "This should be enough. You said you would prepare the sacrifice yourself. Is it arranged?"
Black Zetsu gestured with his chin. A pale figure walked voluntarily into the Edo Tensei formation on the ground. Half of its face wore a grotesque smile, while the other half had eyes closed.
It was half of the First Hokage's face.
Orochimaru's snake pupils constricted.
"Another guy who mastered the transplantation of Hashirama Cells... When did this technology become so cheap...?"
Black Zetsu placed a wooden box in the Edo Tensei formation. That belonged to someone's body tissue.
"I hope, as you said, Edo Tensei has been successfully improved by you. This specially prepared sacrifice of mine can further enhance the strength of the Edo Tensei body."
Orochimaru said sinisterly, "So you spent so much effort... who do you want to summon?"
Black Zetsu said expressionlessly, "You'll know in a moment."
Black Zetsu and the masked person walked to either side of Orochimaru, seemingly guarding against something. Orochimaru pretended not to notice.
This was just a living clone.
"Let's begin."
After a few hand seals, Orochimaru slammed one hand on the ground and shouted: "Edo Tensei!"
Chakra flowed along the formation, extending forward. The grotesque sacrifice was swallowed by some unknown substance without struggle.
A moment later, a long-haired man wearing ancient armor replaced the sacrifice, appearing in the formation.
The long-haired man raised his hands and looked left and right. "Edo Tensei?..."
Orochimaru felt a sense of familiarity but couldn't place it.
"Similar style to the First Hokage... An old antique from the Warring States Period?"
He began to adjust control. During the improvement process, he specifically strengthened the control over the Edo Tensei body, perfect for testing now.
"Let's test the parameters of the improved Edo Tensei Jutsu first... First... Kneel!"
The scene was terrifyingly silent for a moment. Even Black Zetsu looked at Orochimaru in astonishment.
Orochimaru didn't notice Black Zetsu's expression; he only saw that the Edo Tensei body in front of him didn't move at all, falling into confusion.
"Strange, I clearly strengthened the control... Where did it go wrong?"
In the next moment, the long-haired man finally finished examining his new body. He looked up and extended a hand toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's vision blurred, and he flew over, grabbed by the neck.
The long-haired man formed a seal with his other hand and said one word: "Release!"
The restraints of Edo Tensei vanished.
"Trash like you dares to speak to me like that?"
But Orochimaru no longer cared what he said.
His eyes were filled entirely with the bizarre purple eyes in the man's sockets.
A shocking thought occupied his entire mind.
"The Sage of Six Paths... EXISTS?!"