Konohagakure, Hokage's Office
"Lord Third, is there any kind of jutsu that can restrict space-time ninjutsu?"
Link couldn't hold back his question. He himself knew of none, but perhaps the Hokage—who had studied every jutsu in the village—might have an idea.
Sasori's abilities had really been bothering him for quite a while. By the time he rescued Team 8, returned to Tanzaku Town, finished his mission, and came back to the village, four days had passed.
In those four days, he racked his brain for every jutsu he could recall. Nothing came up that would be effective against someone proficient in space-time ninjutsu. Did that mean he really had to learn from Konan and unleash massive saturation attacks whenever he fought such an enemy?
The Third Hokage, pipe in mouth, paused from reading the scroll Sasori had left behind. Looking up, he repeated Link's question:
"A jutsu that restricts space-time ninjutsu?"
He shook his head. "Even if a jutsu like that does exist, mastering it would be no easier than learning Flying Thunder God."
"What about sealing techniques or barrier ninjutsu?" Link pressed.
In his heart, though, he already knew the answer. Sealing jutsu can be powerful, but you have to hit your target first. If his Money Binding Technique managed to land, it wouldn't be any worse than another sealing method. But obviously, if you can't land it, it's useless.
As for barriers—if there was a barrier that could lock down space-time ninjutsu, then the barrier protecting Konohagakure, which is so crucial, wouldn't be so easily bypassed by such jutsu.
The Third Hokage shook his head again. "All jutsu depend on the person using them."
So there's no such thing as an invincible jutsu, only invincible people—was that it?
Link sighed inwardly and didn't pursue the matter. Indeed, space-time techniques typically require a great deal of chakra. Even the simplest one, the Summoning Technique, already consumes quite a bit, which prevents it from being spammed constantly. The only ones who can do that freely are those with enormous chakra reserves.
(Jiraiya, Naruto, Nagato, etc.)
Sasori could seemingly transfer his core at will with summoning because he was also at Endurance 10 in Link's stat system.
Space-time jutsu consume a large amount of chakra. Even though the databooks never gave precise figures for Minato Namikaze, the fact that he could use Sage Mode and form Rasengan easily implies that his chakra capacity was far from small.
Moreover, using a space-time jutsu also demands high reaction speed. Minato was dubbed the fastest ninja in the world, and Sasori had a Speed 9 rating. The steep usage threshold alone ruled out most ninjas. Even if Minato didn't have the Flying Thunder God Technique, he could still tear through enemies with his raw speed and abundant chakra—people just couldn't keep up with him.
As for Link's own stats in Endurance and Speed… without ninjutsu, he couldn't even beat Baki in a straight fight.
The Third Hokage's statement was correct in theory. Even if someone else learned Flying Thunder God, they might not master it effectively.
What really concerned Link was that he was purely a "ninjutsu-type" fighter. If he went head-to-head in a pure ninjutsu duel, he could break Sasori at his peak. After all, Summoning Technique, Rashōmon, Uchiha Fugaku, and Baki were all part of Link's arsenal.
But if the enemy got in close, Link could be instantly taken out. And space-time ninjutsu is best at delivering instant kills.
To think of it more darkly, Sasori could craft a puppet disguised as furniture—capable of summoning his core—to quietly place it in Link's house. At the crucial moment, he'd pop out and assassinate him. Or he could even make it a toilet puppet, sneaking in a "One Thousand Years of Death" technique when Link was, well, indisposed…
Maybe that was how the Third Kazekage "really" died—hence the secrecy around it, and why the resulting human puppet has no lower body. Actually, come to think of it, none of Sasori's human puppets had legs. Perhaps he did this sort of thing often—
Devious. Way too devious.
Link decided never again to expose his weaknesses on any man-made object he didn't trust. He would do his "business" outdoors if needed.
"Regarding the intel provided by Sasori…" The Third Hokage lifted his head and took a puff of his pipe. "I'll discuss it with the other two advisors, and then we'll address Danzō."
Indeed, the "sincerity" Sasori gave turned out to involve Shimura Danzō's dealings with Orochimaru. That old codger had been happily selling people's secrets around, never guessing his own intel would one day be served up as a 'goodwill offering.'
"Alright." On the surface, Link behaved obediently, but inside he was full of malice.
When he saw the contents of that scroll—detailing the what, when, and where of Danzō's transactions—he got so mad he wanted to run straight over and kill the old bastard. But after a moment's thought, he realized he couldn't win against him in a direct fight, so he'd have to follow protocol and report it.
"One day, I won't just be reporting you. I'll kill you myself."
He promised silently, leaving the office behind.
The Third Hokage remained there, gazing at the scroll and sighing. At what point had his old friend's resolve to protect Konoha begun to change?
That same comrade who once vowed to sacrifice his life for the village now felt increasingly distant.
Perhaps he was just getting old. Recently, he often found himself reminiscing about the past—beautiful memories, cruel times, sadness, excitement—it all kept flooding back.
"What exactly are you planning, Danzō…?"
…
In a former Root laboratory, located in Konohagakure…
Kimimaro lay there stark naked, unconscious amid a web of densely packed black markings. His once pale skin had turned brown. The sealing-script symbols covered him from head to toe, continuously breaking down into flecks of light and disappearing into the air.
Several Root ninja sat in a corner, channeling chakra to maintain the sealing effect.
"How is he?" Shimura Danzō demanded, storming in with a grim expression. Orochimaru had given him this rare test subject, and it seemed to be having problems.
"Lord Danzō." A scientist in a white coat bowed before explaining, "His body is currently disintegrating, and so far, we've found no way to stop it. Sealing jutsu can only suppress it for a short time, but these new energies keep appearing and wearing down the seal. If this keeps up, I'm afraid that—"
He didn't finish the sentence but said gravely, "If we can't halt the changes happening inside him, and if the seal can't hold, then before he completely self-destructs, he might swallow up a huge area."
"Preliminary estimates suggest it could cover several kilometers."
So the test subject might become a giant walking bomb…
"How long can you keep him stable?" Danzō asked, his expression dark.
"No more than forty-eight hours. After that, we may not be able to contain him. We must hurry to—"
Just then, a masked shinobi dressed like an Anbu appeared, kneeling on one knee. "Lord Danzō, the Third Hokage requests your presence."
~~~
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