"Sansho-sama, is it really necessary for me to personally oversee such a practical training session?" Uchiha Kagami looked at the two rows of young Genin standing ready for battle on the training ground and finally voiced his complaint.
For someone like him, such words were rarely spoken, but now that he had become Konoha's Western Line Commander, facing Sunagakure's aggressive advances, he was about to head to the frontlines. Yet in this unusually busy time, Sansho had forcibly drafted him into overseeing a mere Genin-level sparring match.
Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?
While it was true that injuries could easily occur during Genin battles due to poor control, all it took was an average Chunin to prevent accidents. There was absolutely no reason why someone as occupied as Uchiha Kagami should be the one assigned here.
Still, since Sansho had specifically sought him out, there was clearly no room for refusal—even if some complaining was inevitable.
Sansho glanced at Uchiha, completely unconcerned about causing him trouble or hearing his grievances. She simply said, "I heard you're heading to the Land of Rivers soon? Battlefield situations change rapidly, and the fighting will be especially dangerous... I brought you here not just to act as a referee, but also to broaden your understanding. Ninja battles shift like sand in the wind—and you, like all Uchiha, rely too much on what your eyes show you."
She spoke so calmly, as if she hadn't been surprised at Haseo's performance earlier.
The Land of Rivers lay between the Lands of Fire and Wind. Before Kagami Uchiha headed there, Sansho had specifically called him over to let the Sharingan witness something incomprehensible.
Kagami Uchiha frowned silently at her words. He shifted his gaze toward the training ground, secretly hoping this exercise would end quickly so he could return to his real duties.
As one of the teams participating in the practical exercise, Haseo found himself more surprised by his opponents than by Uchiha Kagami's arrival—he had never expected his sparring partners to be these three people.
Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—the legendary Sannin of Konoha—needed no introduction for Haseo to recognize them, and identifying them was far easier than recognizing Sakumo Hatake previously.
Yet faced with the three of them, Haseo felt no reverence or honor—only bewildered amusement.
Yes, the future Sannin were undoubtedly top-tier ninja, but the three before him now were… just far too small.
Beating up children—how could that count as practical combat training?
At this point, Jiraiya and the others had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, and their graduation age wasn't like what it would become in later years—it was actually equivalent to the entrance age for the academy back then… meaning none of them were older than seven years old.
Tsunade had already inherited her grandfather's gambling habit at the age of three. Jiraiya was already fond of patrolling red-light districts, and Orochimaru had just become a new orphan, beginning his path toward extremism. From these traits, you could already see hints of the people they'd become. The problem was—they were just too damn young.
They even looked somewhat cute.
Actually, their ages didn't need to be much greater—at least if they'd been as old as Sakumo Hatake, Haseo wouldn't have felt this way right now... Unlike the Sannin, the White Fang at this time was already a ninja hardened by life-and-death battles on the battlefield.
Among the Sannin, the one who would later become the strongest was actually the weakest one now. Orochimaru was self-centered and extreme, Tsunade lacked perseverance to the point of near cowardice. Whether pitiful or fortunate, only Jiraiya consistently followed the teachings he had received, becoming a truly typical ninja everyone hoped would represent Konoha. However... right now, he was just a clown.
Haseo shifted his gaze toward Sansho, as if double-checking—was it really those kids who would be fighting in this training session? It'd be a shame if they got hurt. Not that Haseo was being arrogant or boastful—he honestly couldn't control the full force of his new fighting style yet.
Sansho nodded, meaning there was no changing it now—they were the chosen ones.
"You guys," Haseo turned back toward the three children, helplessly saying, "I'll be using full power next. The fight might end in an instant."
The distance between them was about twenty meters—which was normally the standard range for ninja attacks unless it was a straight-up assassination.
Of course, this was merely training, not real combat. Otherwise, Haseo definitely wouldn't use the attack method he planned next—if this were a real battlefield, that move would've been pure suicide.
"He said 'full power'—could be he's a Fire Release type," Jiraiya analyzed the information obtained from Haseo's words.
This comment made Orochimaru silently step sideways slightly, appearing as though afraid his intelligence level might drop by association.
Without extra chatter, Haseo stretched his fingers in preparation for battle while waiting for the order to begin the exercise.
"Listen carefully—both sides, get ready..."
Soon, Kagami Uchiha's voice came from outside the arena.
"Begin!"
Almost immediately after the word fell, Jiraiya and the others instantly abandoned their previously relaxed or lazy expressions. They rushed toward Haseo from left, center, and right positions at incredible speed.
Orochimaru led in the center, Jiraiya attacked from the left, and Tsunade charged furthest to the right. With both speed and coordination, it was hard to believe they were children who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy (the basic training school for aspiring ninjas). No wonder—the Third Hokage raised some top-notch pupils.
Upon hearing the start command, Haseo quickly retreated backward. Although his opponents were significantly younger than him, once battle commenced, he showed not a hint of carelessness. Facing off against three people alone meant he absolutely could not afford a prolonged fight—otherwise, he'd immediately find himself at an overwhelming disadvantage.
What if they distracted him with Orochimaru and Jiraiya while Tsunade threw in a punch? Only heaven knows how strong her punches might be now.
So close combat was definitely the worst option.
Haseo's feet were retreating, but his hands were already on the offensive. Before the trio could close the distance, he had already completed his hand seals.
"Scatter—it's Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Seeing the roaring torrential dragon surging toward them, Orochimaru immediately gave that command. Even a fool would know not to take that head-on.
The water dragon targeted Orochimaru charging straight down the middle. Instantly, he dodged sideways toward Tsunade on the right just as the attack struck where he had stood moments before.
Their formation split apart. With a deafening roar and violent tremors, the water slammed into the ground, exploding into countless streams that scattered in all directions.
They barely escaped the attack when, just as the trio tried to regroup for another charge, something totally unexpected happened—three of Haseo's clones burst forth from within the very waters of the Water Dragon.
Water Release: Water Clone Technique—everyone knew it well. But... how could a water clone hide inside a Water Dragon?
And what about the hand seals? When had he made them?
The three had no time to think it through and could only hastily defend against the sudden assault.
The sharp sounds of clashing kunai rang out repeatedly, explosive splashes scattering everywhere, transforming into mist that enveloped the entire training field and cutting off Jiraiya's group's line of sight.
"Is this the Hiding in Mist Technique?"
"No, wait—it's Fire Release!"
Only when the wave of heat hit did they finally realize the truth. The fog covering the battlefield wasn't created by concealment techniques—it was steam generated by fire chakra evaporating the earlier released water.
Putting aside the intense battle involving Jiraiya and the others for now, Kagami Uchiha—who had been watching from the sidelines—felt increasingly uneasy. His fully opened three-tomoe Sharingan stared fixedly at Haseo's hands forming complex seals. Yet even this legendary eye, famed for its perception and replication abilities, couldn't decipher what those chaotic hand signs even were.
"What exactly is he doing here?" he muttered under his breath.
If Haseo had heard this question, he probably would've answered like this—this tactic, unleashing every bit of offensive capability within the tightest possible timeframe created by compressing timing intervals, was called saturation ninjutsu bombardment.
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