"You stay up here and communicate with me via Shadow Clone. I've got something to handle downstairs."
"Huh??" Orochimaru was visibly baffled.
A Shadow Clone?
What use was that thing? Especially since Kyoichi's Shadow Clone was essentially a secondhand version—
Kyoichi's chakra was definitely not at full strength right now.
Which meant…
The upkeep of the Telescope Technique would fall mostly on him and the Third Hokage.
What a joke!
"Those who are capable do more—I believe in you! Besides, what I need to handle below is important too. I have to be there in person to adapt on the fly."
Lies and nonsense!
Orochimaru could only sigh internally.
A Shadow Clone could easily handle most things too. But the real body would find it boring and end up shouldering more pressure instead. In this kind of situation…
He too would rather run off with his real body.
Unfortunately, at least one person had to stay here.
"I'll chat with you later about some of my thoughts on the future direction of ninjutsu."
"Deal!"
Orochimaru didn't hesitate.
To others, the future might be uncertain—but in Orochimaru's eyes, Kyoichi's current actions were already starting to shape the shinobi world's future in the direction he desired.
Whatever the future became, Kyoichi would have a say in it.
"Thanks for holding down the fort."
Kyoichi smiled. He wasn't surprised by Orochimaru's decision.
To deal with someone like Orochimaru, dangling knowledge of ninjutsu development was the most direct approach. Everything else was fluff.
Name the price, seal the deal.
The Shadow Clone looked a bit resigned, but Kyoichi exploiting his clones was hardly a secret anymore. Worse, he'd made it a trend—even someone as powerful as Orochimaru had started putting Shadow Clones to work.
As Kyoichi once said:
Two bodies…
Double the time—essentially an extension of one's lifespan!
Orochimaru didn't find that logic flawed. In fact, he was already researching how to use Shadow Clones without any cost, to create an entire army of clones to work for him.
All that could be said was—
Kyoichi had set a bad precedent.
Once the original body left, Orochimaru smiled and asked, "Kyoichi-kun, how do you think ninjutsu should develop in the future?"
"You think I'd tell you?"
"Doesn't hurt to try. After all, there's still a bit of a gap in mindset between the original and a clone, especially in certain situations. Don't you agree?"
Orochimaru smirked slightly.
There was a difference in emotion between a clone and its original. This one, for instance, was clearly disgruntled—he might just spill something useful.
Kyoichi's clone chuckled and nodded. "You've got a point. I am just a clone—what do the original's promises have to do with me? Guess I'll talk?"
"Mmhmm…"
"In my opinion, the future of the shinobi world should focus more on civilian life. As for ninjutsu… hmm, haven't we been chatting long enough? Work comes first."
Having said that, the clone turned serious and returned to commentary on the current battle, leaving Orochimaru stunned.
That's twice now.
This guy…
Sure enough—
While clones and originals may differ slightly in thought and emotion, their personalities were equally infuriating. It made one really want to punch him.
And he could beat the clone in a fight.
But the problem was…
If he punched this clone, Kyoichi might just spawn another to take its place and keep working.
So—
He held it in.
Still…
Kyoichi hadn't said nothing.
Civilian development…
That was clearly the trend. By Naruto's era, most ninjutsu would shift toward supporting that goal. But Kyoichi's perspective still diverged slightly from Naruto's.
Civilian needs were important.
But—
You still needed a strong fist. Otherwise, how were you supposed to sit down and have a nice, civilized chat with those arrogant Ōtsutsuki fools?
Balance both civilian development and raw power—
That was the real path forward.
And to achieve that vision, Kyoichi truly needed Orochimaru's help—especially with his ongoing research into Wood Release. He was, frankly, the perfect tool for the job.
With Kyoichi providing theoretical support, occasional assistance, and—
Keeping Orochimaru interested!
…
"Orochimaru's probably trying to bait intel out of the clone right about now."
Heading downstairs…
Kyoichi mused to himself.
That guy was never honest. But as a tool, he was so excellent it was impossible to turn him down.
Sigh!
Kyoichi sighed, disguised himself, and walked down from the upper floor.
He paused outside for a while.
The crowd was lively—just like watching a sports match in his previous life. Sadly, there weren't enough cheering fans.
Not because the idea hadn't occurred to him—but because this was everyone's first time watching a shinobi match. How would they know who the idols were?
Next time, they'd figure it out.
Shisui, for example, had a real shot at becoming a shinobi idol.
Asuma…
Without the beard, he was still a decent-looking young man. But grow that beard and start puffing on cigarettes? Forget it—he'd probably scare the kids off.
After a glance outside, Kyoichi stepped in.
Everyone was so focused!
Seeing the village leaders racking their brains, scratching their heads, trying to make sense of things—Kyoichi felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Yes, let's all compete together.
This shinobi world needed something new.
He didn't know if Madara would ever be revived, but if he was, Kyoichi hoped the world he returned to would be completely different.
No more playing by the old shinobi rules.
Instead, imagine a battlefield filled with Lightning Release: Kirin.
True large-scale shinobi warfare—not these little skirmishes with zero coordination.
The stuff in Naruto? That was supposed to be war?
What a joke.
"Heh, Jonin Kyoichi seems to be in high spirits—come all the way down to enjoy the show yourself?"
"Uh…" Kyoichi turned his head slightly.
Ebizō?
That old bastard recognized him?
He gave the man a closer look—and it made sense. Ebizō was sitting in a corner, separate from Yura, with a knowing smile on his face.
Thinking back to that strange reward earlier—
Kyoichi figured Ebizō had "seen the light" again.
Old and cunning—
That was Ebizō to a tee. The scary part was, this geezer would probably outlive half the people in the room.
"Kyoichi's here?"
At that moment, A picked up a faint voice and followed the sound, spotting Ebizō whispering in a shadowy corner with an unfamiliar jōnin.
Their voices were so low you'd think they were afraid of being overheard.
Sneaky. Suspicious.
A quietly moved in closer.
"So, what are your thoughts on the next Chūnin Exams?"
"What thoughts could I have? We don't even know if everyone's satisfied with how this one's going. Besides, always letting Konoha host them doesn't seem fair—it's a huge drain on resources!"
Kyoichi sighed.
Sure, there's some profit, but in reality, it's not much. Most of the money ends up in the hands of the villagers, while the village itself is footing the bill.
That said...
There's no doubt these events are good for the economy—especially once they become a recurring fixture. When that happens, every village will be scrambling to host.
But right now...
"How about letting Sunagakure host the next one?"
"Oh?"
Kyoichi raised an eyebrow.
Well, damn.
He'd been worrying about who to pass the torch to for the next exam, and here Ebizō was, practically handing himself in.
If it were anyone else, he'd assume they were just trying to show off. But Ebizō was different. He'd mentioned the concept of an economic circle before, and he'd clearly grasped it.
Live long enough, read widely, and you end up knowing a lot.
It wasn't surprising he understood.
What was surprising...
Was how sharp his mind still was.
Kyoichi gave him a look and chuckled. "Elder, I doubt Sunagakure is that generous."
"Come on now, no one else is volunteering. Why hide the goods?"
Ebizō lowered his voice even more.
"Is that true? No one at all?"
Kyoichi didn't say anything more. He simply gave a faint smile and pointed to the screen. "Let's watch the exam first. After it ends, we'll talk properly."
"Fair enough."
Ebizō nodded, though his smile looked a little strained.
No rabbit, no hawk.
He realized it wouldn't be easy to land the next exam without offering something in return. Pretending to watch the screen, his mind was already somewhere else entirely.
What was there to see, anyway?
Sunagakure didn't have many slots. The real deal was the next exam.
"If you give up your claim on the southern missions in the Land of Rivers," Kyoichi murmured, "I'll give you a sincere suggestion. Interested?"
He'd noticed A.
That giant of a man really thought he was being stealthy, when in fact almost everyone had already noticed his presence.
Ebizō paused for a beat, not immediately replying.
That wasn't what he was after.
A "suggestion"...?
So, he's not actually giving it to us?
"You think Sunagakure isn't fit to host?"
"Heh…"
"So it's about strength after all, huh."
"Enjoy the show. It's just getting good."
Kyoichi didn't answer, just gave him a cryptic smile that made Ebizō want to rip his skull open to see what was going on inside that head.
A felt the same.
But very quickly, he had no more time to worry about Kyoichi—
Because...
Shisui!
On the screen, a figure suddenly flashed out from the joint team of a minor village alliance like a shooting star, diving straight into the Kumogakure squad.
Samui immediately tried to seal the area with ninjutsu—
But Shisui weaved through the crowd like a breeze, his ninja blade dancing like willow leaves.
Leaf-Style Willow!
In the next instant—
The wind howled.
Vacuum Blade!
His goal wasn't to steal the supply pack—too big to carry and escape easily.
No, Shisui's objective was simply—
To destroy it!
His Wind Release sword sliced through the package, scattering rations and ninja tools to the winds. And then, he hurled a dozen explosive tags.
In the explosion that followed, Shisui vanished without a trace.
Stealing might've been hard, but sabotage?
He was a pro.
That bastard!
A shot to his feet.
That guy had come just to blow things up!
And now, he understood why Kyoichi called Shisui "Shisui of the Body Flicker." The kid's movement technique had clearly inherited Kyoichi's full legacy.
Even the sabotage playbook was nearly identical.
What's more...
In that brief flash, Shisui had executed multiple precise steps—
Was that the Sharingan?!
A suddenly imagined those red eyes—and even he was startled by his own conclusion.
He didn't know Shisui's exact age, but by the looks of it, he was maybe eight or nine.
To awaken the Sharingan at that age—and to be this skilled in every other area?
What kind of freak is this?!
He was speechless.
Kanda Kyoichi's student...
Of course he wasn't ordinary.
When this kid grows up, he'll be even more terrifying than Sakumo Hatake's son.
Because Shisui didn't just have the Sharingan and top-tier talent—
He had a powerful teacher who actually knew how to teach.
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