After spending enough time at sea, even the most breathtaking ocean views start to feel monotonous.
For the first day, Shinno and Namikaze Minato had eagerly taken in the open waters, but their enthusiasm faded soon after. The rest of the journey was spent either discussing the progress of their newly taken-on students or exchanging insights on ninjutsu.
Occasionally, they sparred, testing techniques and strategies against one another.
Minato truly was a genius in every sense of the word.
Even for Shinno, who had a system backing him up, Minato's sheer list of abilities was enough to make his eyes turn green with envy.
[Spatial Awareness (Purple)], [Ultra-Fast Reflexes (Purple)], [Sealing Mastery (Blue)], [Strategic Mind (Blue)], [Lucky Star (Blue)], [Chakra Reserve (Blue)], [Wind Release Proficiency (Green)], [Handsome (Green)].
Eight whole attributes.
And six of them were innate talents!
[Spatial Awareness] granted him precise perception of space-time fluctuations, allowing him to execute space-time ninjutsu seamlessly.
[Ultra-Fast Reflexes] enhanced his neural response time, physical reactions, hand seals, chakra flow, and ninjutsu execution speed.
[Strategic Mind] improved his learning ability, tactical thinking, and even his capacity for ninjutsu development and research.
[Lucky Star] increased his luck, while [Chakra Reserve] boosted his chakra pool and recovery rate.
The only trait where Shinno had a slight advantage was [Handsome]—Minato wasn't bad, but Shinno considered himself a notch above.
"If Minato doesn't become the Fourth Hokage, then who the hell will?"
Every time Shinno checked Minato's stats, he couldn't help but feel another wave of jealousy.
Not to mention, just that single [Spatial Awareness] ability was something he longed for.
What kind of transmigrator wouldn't want to master the Flying Thunder God Technique Jutsu?
Unfortunately, even though he had crossed into the Naruto world, he hadn't been gifted with exceptional space-time talent. His abilities in this area were only enough to use summoning jutsu and storage seals—he couldn't even begin to approach the threshold required for learning Flying Thunder God Technique.
If it weren't for the system giving him a glimmer of hope, he would have given up on it entirely a long time ago.
...
Two and a half days passed in a blur as Shinno and Minato continued their discussions and sparring sessions.
The sea had been relatively calm, allowing them to arrive at a small port town in the southern region of the Land of Tea half a day ahead of schedule.
The sun hung high in the sky as they docked.
To be cautious, the two removed their Konoha headbands and used Transformation Jutsu to disguise themselves as simple carpenters. They planned to head into the town, gather intelligence in crowded areas, and avoid drawing any unnecessary attention.
However, before they could even step into the town, four shinobi donning Kirigakure headbands emerged from within.
Leading them was a towering, broad-shouldered man with long, meticulously groomed orange hair that reached his waist. Standing at a massive 2.5 meters, he carried a familiar, imposing weapon on his back—the Samehada.
Who else could he be but one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Fuguki Suikazan?
Behind him, three masked shinobi followed closely. Though Shinno and Minato didn't recognize them, their attire indicated they were likely elite members of the Kirigakure Anbu—at the very least, Jonin-level.
As the Kirigakure shinobi approached, Shinno and Minato instinctively exchanged a glance and put on an act—wide-eyed and full of fear, they backed off to the side of the road like nervous civilians.
Their performance was flawless.
The four Mist shinobi barely spared them a glance before continuing on their way. A few leaps later, they disappeared beyond the town gate.
Shinno and Minato didn't immediately follow them. Instead, they entered the town, keeping a low profile.
Kirigakure had long embraced covert operations under the leadership of the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu. Even with the Third Mizukage now in power, that philosophy had remained unchanged.
For Mist shinobi to be moving so brazenly in broad daylight—something was definitely off.
Sure enough, the moment Shinno and Minato stepped through the town gates, people began emerging from alleyways and side streets.
More than a dozen individuals—men and women, young and old—dispersed in different directions.
An elderly woman, seemingly in her seventies, stood at the center, giving quiet orders to those around her before waving a hand.
In an instant, her subordinates bolted like arrows, fanning out to flank the Mist shinobi from the north and south.
Meanwhile, the old woman herself pursued them alone.
Shinno and Minato didn't need to guess—the Land of Wind's Sunagakure and the Land of Water's Kirigakure were clearly clashing.
Uncertain about whether either side had additional forces waiting in ambush, the two maintained their cover as carpenters and feigned fear, slipping deeper into the town.
After weaving through several streets, they found a secluded alley where no one was paying attention.
Shinno swiftly formed a hand seal, activating his Yamanaka clan's sensory jutsu to its maximum range.
A flood of chakra signatures within a ten-kilometer radius immediately filled his mind.
"Damn... there's a lot of people out there."
Muttering to himself, Shinno shifted his hand seals and activated the 'Mind Body Transmission Technique,' relaying everything he sensed directly to Minato.
The frequent skirmishes had clearly escalated, with both Sunagakure and Kirigakure going all in.
Over thirty chakra signatures littered the battlefield—far beyond the scale of a mere border dispute.
On the Mist's side, Fuguki and his team were clearly bait. Sixteen more shinobi lay hidden in the forest just a few kilometers away.
On the Sand's side, one shinobi had charged directly into the encirclement, while twelve others were attempting to flank the Mist from the north and south.
Meanwhile, within the town itself, four more chakra signatures lingered. It was unclear whether they were Sunagakure scouts or Kirigakure backup.
"This level of conflict…"
Minato frowned, reviewing the intel Shinno had shared with him.
A battle involving nearly forty shinobi wasn't just some minor skirmish—it had already escalated to a conflict that required approval from village higher-ups.
And once the leadership got involved, it meant the tension between these two villages had already reached a boiling point.
"There's no point in worrying about it. Let's just focus on our mission," Shinno said nonchalantly.
He had long since accepted the inevitability of war. Right now, his only concern was how best to complete their task—and whether he should use this opportunity to subtly alter the course of the Third Shinobi World War.
"Alright. We'll go with Tactic Two and wait for the right moment to intervene."
Minato nodded, setting aside his concerns about the war and shifting his focus to the mission at hand.
Back on the ship, they had devised several battle strategies tailored to their unique abilities. Given the current situation, their second tactic—one that allowed for quick engagement and rapid withdrawal—was the most suitable.
"Got it."
Shinno retrieved a small tube inscribed with sealing formulas from his inner pocket.
Uncorking it, he dipped his finger into the stored blood before forming a sequence of hand seals.
Summoning Jutsu.
A puff of chakra smoke erupted.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
Three pitch-black crows flapped their wings as they materialized before them.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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