Speaking of which, Mikami Yuu could actually already use Mystical Palm now.
Because during the weeks after leaving Konoha, he had quietly fed the copy of the Mystical Palm scroll he had made to Healing Technique, unlocking this A-rank medical ninjutsu.
He was only continuing to use the original skin in order to hide his "talent."
Although he was using the original version, Healing Technique's affection for him was already high enough that she occasionally came out to help, giving him a cost-free Healing Technique or offering some treatment advice. As a result, the wounded treated by Yuu recovered noticeably faster than those treated by others.
Two ninja whose injuries had already been relatively light were even trying to stand up now, wanting to take part in the upcoming operation to retake the outpost.
"No need."
Minato smiled, his tone gentle as he advised them, "You've already been wounded for Konoha. Now that your injuries have only just begun recovering, stay here and help look after the other wounded first. If we retake the outpost, we'll need people to guard it anyway. It won't be too late for you to return then."
"…Alright."
Since a jōnin had spoken, the wounded ninja could only sit back down reluctantly and begin doing some basic recovery exercises.
Meanwhile, Yuu and the others went out into the courtyard outside the watchtower and began their regular training.
Even though they had reached the front line, training was still necessary. Pure combat couldn't fully replace normal practice.
It was just that because the environment was different, the intensity of Yuu and the others' training had been reduced compared to when they were inside Konoha. Usually, they stopped as soon as they had consumed around thirty percent of their chakra, to avoid getting caught in an emergency while exhausted. But with Minato and the others here now, they could train a bit longer.
Minato stood nearby watching, giving pointers to the group—especially Obito and Rin, whose strength was currently below the team average.
During this,
Mikami Yuu took a moment to play two rounds with Monster Strength.
His luck was good. He triggered an affection crit once, allowing Monster Strength's affection to smoothly enter the Intimate stage, unlocking the long-awaited trait:
[Monster Strength affection +2! Current affection: 25/100 (Intimate)]
(Stage reward obtained: Constitution +1. Trait · Mad Gamble: When using Monster Strength, you may inject an additional 5% of your own chakra as a dice-roll wager. Based on the result, different buffs will trigger: ① Blank Spin · 40% chance: no buff. ② Small Win · 30% chance: destructive power increases by an additional 75%. ③ Double Up · 20% chance: destructive power increases by an additional 125%, with a critical effect. ④ Sweep · 10% chance: destructive power increases by an additional 225%, with critical, piercing, and splash effects.)
"Hm…"
This trait…
Why did it feel kind of abstract?
Come to think of it, Monster Strength was a little like Water Release. Its lower limit was ordinary, but its upper limit was extremely high. In the hands of chakra monsters like the Senju or Uzumaki, it could unleash outstanding destructive power with every movement, turning the user into a literal "One-Punch Man."
But when ordinary people used it, they had to be careful. If they attacked recklessly, throwing out one heavy punch after another, it was uncertain whether the enemy would fall, but their chakra would almost certainly be nearly drained.
So,
back in Konoha, Tsunade had already advised Yuu and Rin not to invest more than five percent of their chakra each time they practiced Monster Strength. That way, even if one or two punches missed, their overall combat ability wouldn't be affected. Once they could control it precisely, they could try increasing the amount.
When the two of them had practiced before, they had strictly followed that ratio.
But now…
"Using double the chakra cost every time, risking a 40% chance of complete waste, just to gamble on a 10% 'Sweep'… wait, isn't this just a trap?"
Would anyone really be stupid enough to play this kind of gamble?
Just as Yuu thought that,
a certain "great fool"… ahem, rather, "great sheep" jumped out on her own:
[Monster Strength: What trap? Gambling is supposed to be like this! Winning and losing are both normal, aren't they? If you roll 'Sweep,' you get a 225% boost. That's a huge profit, okay? Trust me. Go big or go home! Turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!]
"Like hell I trust you. Don't you know how badly you usually lose when playing card mini-games…"
Yuu was briefly speechless.
Fine.
To be fair, Mad Gamble did fit Monster Strength's character.
But in Yuu's view, cheap goods were never good goods.
—No wonder Monster Strength's affection rose so quickly…
For now,
Yuu decided to find a chance later to test Mad Gamble a few times in actual combat and see what the true activation rates of the buffs looked like.
If he turned out to be a hidden European emperor, then maybe he could keep using it. Otherwise, he could only shelve it for now and see whether the probabilities changed when the affection reached 50 and advanced to the second stage.
Luckily, this trait was an active skill. He could choose not to use it.
Also, rising affection did have a positive effect on skill proficiency. So even without using Mad Gamble, it didn't stop Yuu from practicing Monster Strength normally.
He planned to try incorporating Monster Strength's technique into Hatake Swordsmanship, to see if he could further increase the power of Hatake Swordsmanship.
Later, once Neural Activation Technique's trait unlocked, he could add that in too—provided Neural Activation's trait didn't turn out to be a pitfall like Monster Strength's…
Time soon reached evening.
The sky was overcast today, and the starlight was dim.
After doing one final check of their tools, the group stepped out of the watchtower gate and advanced toward Oborozuki Castle, preparing to take down its sentry posts under cover of night.
Minato naturally went alone toward the southwestern watchtower, the farthest away.
Mikami Yuu and the others followed Inuzuka Tsume's squad north, arriving on the other side of Oborozuki Castle.
"The northeastern watchtower is up ahead."
Riding Kuromaru, Inuzuka Tsume stopped. "According to our earlier reconnaissance, the number stationed at this sentry post should be between four and eight. Most of them are chūnin, though, so with your abilities, you should be able to take it down. You arrange the tactics yourselves. I won't interfere."
"We're off. Remember to send a signal once you succeed."
With that, Tsume's squad left in a hurry, continuing toward the northwestern watchtower.
Mikami Yuu and the others crouched down where they were, parted the bushes, and looked from afar at the watchtower dozens of meters away.
"…According to Inuzuka-senpai, these watchtowers originally belonged to Konoha. They're built on high ground, giving them a commanding view. Anyone who gets within two or three hundred meters will be noticed instantly. There may also be traps set up around them, so a frontal assault will be difficult."
"I suggest we use a feint. Obito and Rin take a few water clones and pretend to attack from the front to draw their attention. Yuu and I circle around from the rear side and try to launch a surprise attack. As long as we can take out the two standing night watch, it'll be four against four. The advantage will be ours!"
Kakashi said.
"Good."
Yuu nodded.
Rin and Obito had no objections either.
In truth, Yuu had better tactics available—like transforming into a bird, flying over directly, and air-dropping explosive tags to catch the enemy off guard. But there was no need to show off too much. Playing the team game properly was enough.
"It's about midnight now. We'll wait another hour and strike around one in the morning, when most people are at their sleepiest."
"Alright."
They all fell silent and began adjusting their condition, gathering momentum.
Time passed minute by minute.
When it was almost one in the morning, Kakashi made a hand signal.
Then Obito and Rin rose, leading four or five water clones created by Yuu, Kakashi, and Rin herself toward the front of the watchtower. On the way, some of the water clones stepped on traps. Some fell into deep pits. Some triggered explosive tags.
These noises quickly drew the attention of the Suna sentries.
One of them raised a bow and aimed downward.
Another went inside to alert his companions.
"Now!"
Kakashi said.
Then two white figures shot out from the rear flank of the watchtower, from two different directions!
Naturally, the ground here was full of traps too.
But Yuu and Kakashi were different. One had cheats, the other had experience. Even if they accidentally stepped on a trap, they could immediately dodge away or pull each other clear.
When they were about a hundred meters away, Kakashi took a bow from his back, nocked an arrow, and fired. This weapon had been given to them by Tsume's squad. It was one of the less commonly used ninja weapons, but it was quite useful in siege situations like this.
Whoosh—!
A sharp sound tore through the air.
The arrow flew in a straight line for more than a hundred meters and shot toward the back of the sentry on the lookout platform. Although the man heard the wind and turned to dodge, the explosive tags attached behind the arrow detonated with a bang, erupting in blinding fire!
"Enemy attack—!"
A startled shout rang out.
Chaotic shadows started moving inside the watchtower.
Two Suna ninja rushed out of the tower in a hurry, ready to fight. The others were a step slower, still inside putting on gear and preparing.
Taking advantage of the empty lookout platform,
Obito and Rin used the water clones to open the way and quickly rushed closer. Then they pulled kunai and shuriken from their pouches and kept throwing them at the walls. Some were tied with explosive tags. For a while, flames burst again and again, and the two of them managed to create the pressure of four or five attackers.
On Yuu's side, the moment the explosion sounded, he used Substitution Technique to cross forty meters and arrive in front of the watchtower. With a leap, he vaulted over the fence, then jumped again the instant he landed, smashing through a window of the building inside like a cannonball.
—These outposts were built almost exactly like the one Yuu's group had stayed in before, so even though it was his first time here, Yuu knew the internal layout very well.
Crash!
The sound of shattering glass was piercing.
Yuu landed and rolled. Before he even stood up, he formed seals with both hands and opened his mouth toward the direction where figures were moving. Scorching heat surged out—
"Great Fireball Jutsu: Burn to Ash!"
BOOM!!!
Blazing white flames carrying terrifying heat roared outward and spread through the room!
The interior of the watchtower building was about two or three hundred square meters, roughly more than twenty meters across in both length and width. Now, Yuu's fireball occupied almost a third of the entire room, instantly drying out the air.
One Suna ninja was too close and was directly swallowed by the flames, screaming as he turned into a lump of charcoal. Most ninja could withstand flames of a few hundred degrees for a moment, but one to two thousand degrees of heat, when unprepared, meant almost certain death.
The other Suna ninja were not quite as miserable, but the intense light still blinded them briefly. Some retreated wildly to find cover. Others threw kunai and shuriken blindly toward the flames. Some formed seals and released ninjutsu.
Unfortunately, all those attacks missed.
Because…
"Shadow Prison Phantom Kill Formation—activate!"
The Phantom Stage unfolded.
Under the terrified gazes of the Suna ninja, Mikami Yuu's figure vanished instantly, then split apart. Like a ghost, he appeared again and again inside the building. Every time he appeared, he carried an incomparably sharp aura. The short sword in his hand reflected the unextinguished firelight, and the blade energy sliced through the air with a piercing shriek.
Actually, Yuu couldn't see the situation inside the room too clearly either. After all, that Great Fireball hadn't only blocked the Suna ninja's sight; it had also blocked his own.
But…
He didn't need to see clearly. As long as he could sense the enemy's chakra fluctuations, he just had to fly to the nearest one. The rest could be left to Heartblade Domain. As long as someone was within two or three meters after Substitution activated, he could simply slash along the white lines.
Back outside, Yuu had already sacrificed several water clones, stacking four layers of A Cornered Army Must Win. Combined with his use of Monster Strength technique, his current speed and power were more than double normal. With one slash, no one could block him.
Even if one of his teleport points wasn't chosen well and he landed in front of a Suna ninja's weapon or ninjutsu, he could still rely on the no-cooldown Substitution under Shadow Prison Phantom Kill Formation, or the white lines inside Heartblade Domain, to dodge or deflect the opponent's attack.
Splurt!
"Ugh!"
"No—!"
Blade-light flashed like lightning, and blood flowers bloomed.
In the chaotic blend of fire and shadow, the Suna ninja felt as if cold killing intent and blade-light were coming from every direction. They didn't even know where to aim their resistance. Their screams soon overlapped into one continuous sound.
By the time Kakashi finished off the two enemies outside and kicked open the wooden door to rush in for support, what entered his eyes was already a scene like hell.
Across the two-hundred-square-meter space, blood covered the floor.
Four or five Suna ninja lay in pools of blood, each with more than one fatal wound. The air was thick with the smell of blood and burned flesh. Mikami Yuu's figure had already disappeared, but his cold blade-light seemed to linger in the surroundings.