Sora opened the exchange shop while travelling, searching for a suitable perception ability.
Currently, Sora has a total of only 1,310 witness points, limiting his options.
He quickly dismissed abilities requiring training, such as sensory ninjutsu. Those techniques required the system to temporarily take control of his body for simulated learning—a luxury his current conditions did not allow.
What Sora needed was a perception ability that could be used immediately.
However, such ready-to-use perception abilities were costly. For example, an ability like Thunder Breath, which granted its user hearing far beyond that of normal humans—similar to Zenitsu Agatsuma—required a staggering 10,000 witness points. With Thunder Breath, a user could hear sounds as subtle as breathing, heartbeats, and even the flow of blood. By focusing, they could even discern a person's inner thoughts.
Unfortunately, 10,000 witness points were far beyond Sora's means.
After some searching, Sora finally found a suitable option: the first stage of Observation Haki. The cost was exactly 1,000 witness points, leaving him with just enough to exchange for it.
Observation Haki allowed the user to sense the 'voice' of others, revealing the location and number of enemies outside their line of sight and even predicting an opponent's next actions.
The technique had multiple applications: sensing attacks, anticipating moves, detecting the strength of other living beings, reading emotions and thoughts, and locating objects or individuals hidden from view. With advanced training, it could even grant the ability to foresee the future.
However, the effectiveness of Observation Haki depended heavily on the user's mental state. Staying calm was essential, as strong emotions or a clouded mind could disrupt its use.
For Sora, who prided himself on his composure, this limitation posed no problem.
The first stage of Observation Haki had its restrictions. At this level, it could only detect the location and number of enemies within a limited range. However, the ability had significant growth potential. Sora could enhance it through his own training or by exchanging more witness points for advanced stages of the technique.
Without hesitation, Sora spent 1,000 witness points to redeem the first stage of Observation Haki.
The moment the exchange was complete, Sora felt a shift in his perception. His thoughts became sharper, and his awareness expanded.
He could now sense everything happening around him.
Through Observation Haki, Sora detected Cloud Shinobi approaching from both flanks. There were seven on each side, for a total of fourteen. Most of them seemed to be Chūnin-level, but three or four had the strength of special Jōnin.
Sora immediately gave an order: "Namikaze Minato!"
"Yes!" Minato responded promptly.
"Take five shinobi and intercept the seven Cloud Shinobi about 100 meters to the left. One of them should be a special Jōnin. Can you handle it?"
Minato was momentarily stunned. Just a moment ago, he had reported spotting Cloud Shinobi on the right flank, though the exact number was uncertain.
Now Sora not only knew there were enemies on the left flank but also their exact number—and even that one of them was a special Jōnin.
Could it be the Sharingan?
Sora didn't rely on the Sharingan to detect the Cloud Shinobi, as it had not been activated—and it certainly didn't have the ability to sense through such distances.
Seeing that Namikaze Minato was frozen in place, Sora barked sharply, "What are you doing?! Time is running out! Answer me immediately—can you do it?!"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Minato quickly replied, "It can be done!"
"Good! Choose your team and attack now!"
Without hesitation, Minato selected five familiar shinobi and led them to engage the Cloud Shinobi on the left flank.
Meanwhile, Sora created a Shadow Clone and instructed the remaining ninjas, "Follow my Shadow Clone and keep moving forward. I'll handle the Cloud Shinobi on the right!"
The moment he finished speaking, Sora performed the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared into the trees.
With his Observation Haki, Sora swiftly located the seven Cloud Shinobi on the right flank. He activated his Sharingan, locking onto the two special Jōnin leading the group.
"Breath of Thunder: Fourth Form—Distant Thunder!"
Lightning surged around Sora's body as he launched a surprise attack at blinding speed, targeting one of the special Jōnin.
The roar of thunder and lightning caught the attention of all seven Cloud Shinobi, but it was already too late.
In a blur, Sora reached his target and swung his blade with precision, decapitating the special Jōnin instantly.
The remaining Cloud Shinobi quickly regrouped.
"Forward Slash!"
"Split Strike!"
"Three-Day Moon Slash!"
The last special Jōnin unsheathed his sword, infusing it with Fire Style chakra. Flames erupted along the blade as he shouted, "Yunliu: Flame Slash!"
Sora reacted immediately, forming hand seals.
The combined attacks of the six Cloud Shinobi struck his body—only for it to vanish in a puff of smoke, revealing a tree stump in his place.
Standing atop another tree trunk nearby, Sora completed another set of seals.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Chakra surged in Sora's throat as he unleashed a vast sea of flames. The intense fire forced the six Cloud Shinobi to leap into the air to avoid being consumed.
"Breath of Thunder: Fifth Form—Heat Lightning!"
With pinpoint accuracy, Sora swung his blade, unleashing streaks of lightning-charged slashes at the airborne shinobi. Two Cloud Shinobi were struck directly, the lightning searing through their stomachs and incapacitating them instantly.
Sora formed another seal.
"Earth Style: Earth Stone Dragon!"
Gathering chakra, he shaped earth and stone into a massive dragon that barreled toward one of the remaining Cloud Shinobi. The shinobi attempted to destroy the dragon with his sword, but as soon as he sliced off part of the dragon's head, it regenerated and slammed him into the sea of flames below.
The last three Cloud Shinobi landed on a nearby tree trunk, regrouping. The remaining special Jōnin quickly formed seals.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
A concentrated stream of fire shot toward Sora, who simultaneously completed his own hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Sora released a massive fireball that absorbed the incoming flames and continued its destructive path toward the special Jōnin. Forced to use the Body Flicker Technique, the special Jōnin barely evaded the attack.
Meanwhile, Sora turned his attention to the last two Cloud Shinobi.
When the two locked eyes with Sora's spinning scarlet Sharingan, an involuntary shiver ran down their spines.
As Sora charged toward them, they raised their blades in a desperate attempt to counterattack. Their swords made contact with what appeared to be Sora's body—but something was off. Their blades felt no resistance.
Before they could comprehend what had happened, sharp pain erupted in their necks. Blood sprayed as the two shinobi clutched their throats and fell from the tree trunk into the raging flames below.
Sora's Sharingan stopped spinning as the battle came to its final moments.
Now, only one enemy remained: the special Jōnin.
Hiding within the dense canopy of trees, the special Jōnin didn't dare breathe. His team had been annihilated in mere moments.
Realizing his mission had failed and that further engagement would mean certain death, the special Jōnin made the only choice he could: retreat.
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