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Chapter 87: Uchiha Madara's Interest—Call Me Dad
Shinobi world wars were world-class events.
Even when battlefields weren't in one's own country and extremely distant, they drew attention from across the entire ninja continent—even overseas nations.
When major events occurred on battlefields, their heat spread rapidly throughout the shinobi world.
The events' protagonists became discussion topics for the entire shinobi world.
Those who accomplished major feats during shinobi world wars, even if previously nobodies, would rapidly become famous figures shaking the shinobi world.
The Legendary Sannin and White Fang of Konoha weren't the best examples.
Before battling Hanzo of the Salamander and eliminating Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law, they'd already been elite jonin recorded in every nation's ninja handbooks, plus commanders of two frontlines.
The best example was Might Duy from canon's Third Shinobi World War—just a genin.
One technique, Eight Gates, nearly annihilated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist composed of seven ace combatants. The survivors who barely escaped spread Eight Gates' fame throughout the entire shinobi world.
Henceforth, Eight Gates became universally known.
Its fame was so great that as Might Duy's son, Might Guy—who also learned Eight Gates—could become Konoha's ace combatant in the future through taijutsu alone despite not mastering two or more nature transformations and lacking ninjutsu skill.
Like Might Duy was Shisui Uchiha who developed Phantom Body Flicker Technique.
Despite possessing incredibly powerful genjutsu, he gained the title "Shisui the Teleporter." His fame was equally universal.
Finally came Minato Namikaze, who single-handedly eliminated dozens of Iwa ninja, becoming the Third Shinobi World War's rising star overnight.
Now Yoru was walking Minato's path—except with even higher merit value.
First, injuring the salamander, forcefully taking the shinobi world's grand stage.
But at that time, he was merely a suddenly rising new star.
Injury ultimately wasn't elimination. Ninja battles were intelligence battles.
Many believed Yoru had merely relied on Flying Thunder God Technique's first-time advantage to luckily injure the salamander.
After intelligence exposure, replicating that feat would be nearly impossible.
The following four months proved those people's speculation.
Yoru, who possessed Flying Thunder God Technique, hadn't become the probing period's protagonist. No news of him taking action emerged.
Clearly his strength was too weak. Konoha was protecting him.
Completely unexpectedly, Yoru's next move achieved super S-rank merit.
Instantly killing Sunagakure's intelligence king plus fifty-four ANBU—this was genuine achievement, even with Flying Thunder God Technique already exposed.
Anyone who saw that photograph would find it terrifying upon reflection.
What kind of speed, what kind of strength could make a Five Great Villages elder plus fifty-four elite combatants unable even to react or counterattack before being dismembered?
Could the Second Hokage who invented Flying Thunder God Technique accomplish this?
Did he possess such achievements?
Just as Might Duy made Eight Gates famous throughout the shinobi world, Yoru's renewed fame simultaneously elevated Flying Thunder God Technique to the shinobi world's pinnacle again, becoming a universally known super S-rank secret technique.
Even showing faint signs of surpassing predecessors.
Once Yoru used Flying Thunder God Technique to establish several more major merits, after enough time passed, Tobirama Senju might painfully lose copyright. Future people might call it "the Black Flash's Flying Thunder God Technique."
The gradually spreading title "Shinobi World's Fastest" represented maximum recognition of Yoru's strength.
The battlefield situation was quietly changing.
Chiyo was about to rampage!
Hanzo of the Salamander and Onoki had both absorbed Ebizo's lesson, implementing different countermeasures.
And this news naturally reached certain ears.
"Madara-sama, that brat who mastered Flying Thunder God Technique accomplished another major feat..."
In the dimly lit underground space, White Zetsu's upper body emerged from underground, informing Uchiha Madara of Yoru instantly killing fifty-five Sand ninja.
Simultaneously, he presented the photograph that—within days—would be mass-produced by various press offices and soon spread throughout the entire shinobi world.
Madara showed no interest in the former. A technique capable of killing Izuna deserved respect—if it couldn't accomplish such feats, Tobirama Senju wouldn't merit his attention.
However, seeing that photograph, Madara's three-tomoe Sharingan slightly narrowed.
Then his gaze shifted to White Zetsu: "Did you witness that brat taking action?"
"No."
White Zetsu shook his head helplessly: "Just as you said, Madara-sama, we can't track Flying Thunder God Technique users. We barely find his location, then one teleport and we must search again."
"Worried about him discovering us, we didn't dare leave Spore Technique on his body."
Madara straightened his posture slightly, both hands holding that photograph. His Sharingan's dynamic vision ignored the dim environment, absorbing every detail into his eyes.
After several seconds, he asked again: "Did your previous observations get discovered by him?"
"Absolutely not." White Zetsu guaranteed.
"Then it's unrelated to sensory abilities, but still exercise caution." Madara stated coldly. "Gathering at secret bases, investigating and establishing barriers is basic shinobi common sense. They were Sunagakure's intelligence king plus ANBU skilled in reconnaissance and assassination. They couldn't possibly commit such elementary errors."
"Yet this photograph shows Flying Thunder God seals covering the ground."
"This brat either possesses powerful concealment and infiltration abilities—like your Mayfly Technique capable of ignoring barriers and sensory detection—then placed seals beneath these people's feet before using Flying Thunder God Technique and Flying Thunder God Slash to instantly kill them."
"Or his Flying Thunder God Technique no longer requires seal coordinates to remotely transmit objects."
"Or... this is camouflage he arranged afterward."
Madara examined the photograph again, his gaze profound: "He's using Flying Thunder God Technique and Flying Thunder God Slash to hide some ability."
"This ability is the key to how he could instantly kill these people."
Regardless of which, all successfully piqued Madara's interest.
"You're joking—he also has Mayfly Technique?" White Zetsu's eyes widened before showing panic. "Doesn't that mean we've actually been discovered, he's just pretending not to know?"
"Mayfly Technique is your unique ability. Unless he awakened Wood Release, discovering you merged with earth and vegetation is impossible." Madara analyzed. "Should be a secret technique similar to Transparent Release, or a bloodline limit."
"If merely these two ability types, no need to hide them. After all, Konoha spreading this photograph means plenty of clever people will notice something wrong with it and definitely implement countermeasures."
"That Amegakure brat might have already discovered his chakra-hiding ability months ago."
"He definitely conceals an even greater secret. Perhaps this is why that monkey values him so highly, growing him as the new generation's standard-bearer."
Madara reconsidered but ultimately dismissed having White Zetsu monitor Yoru—completely meaningless.
Increasing White Zetsu numbers might cause accidents. If that brat truly discovered White Zetsu's existence, it might affect his plans.
So Madara instructed: "Strengthen Rain Country surveillance. If that brat enters Rain Country's range, watch him closely."
"He has deep connections with the current Nine-Tails jinchuriki. Might have natural favorable impressions of red-haired people. Don't let him approach Nagato. When necessary, have Spiral Zetsu find someone to possess and stop him."
White Zetsu suddenly suggested: "Why not have Spiral Zetsu kill him?"
"Don't offer opinions without brains. He's an agility-type ninja. Wood Release techniques with obvious wind-up—before Spiral Zetsu could execute them, he'd already vanish."
Being surrounded by such idiotic subordinates truly exhausted Madara sometimes.
"Follow my instructions. Henceforth, report matters concerning that brat to me."
Madara waved dismissively and closed his eyes again, borrowing the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to sustain his life.
But Madara failed to notice—a figure who'd always dwelt inside the Demonic Statue, occasionally using Yin-Yang Release through tubes to influence his will while making him slowly discover himself, planning to appear as his will's embodiment in the future, had heard his entire conversation with White Zetsu.
This figure was Kaguya Otsutsuki's third son. Aside from Isshiki Otsutsuki, Kaguya Otsutsuki, and the Three Great Sage Regions' sages, he was the shinobi world's third humanoid ancient schemer who'd lived a thousand years—Black Zetsu.
Just like Madara, Black Zetsu showed zero interest in Yoru instantly killing fifty-five Sand ninja.
Merely inferior creatures' minor skirmishes.
If not for the method being space-time type Flying Thunder God Technique, Black Zetsu wouldn't even bother listening.
However, Madara's analysis drew his attention.
The first two possibilities would make Yoru an extremely troublesome existence.
The final possibility made Yoru radiate mysterious aura even more.
Especially since Yoru's frontline opposed Rain Country. Once war entered the next phase, he'd very likely enter Rain Country. The probability of encountering Nagato wasn't small.
A troublesome person with secrets approaching the Rinnegan—Black Zetsu absolutely couldn't allow this.
After all, these eyes—Black Zetsu had spent a thousand years bewitching who knows how many generations of Indra reincarnations before finally awaiting this generation's Madara and Hashirama.
If something happened to the Rinnegan, Black Zetsu didn't know how many more years he'd need to wait before seeing reincarnations as excellent as Hashirama and Madara again.
So Black Zetsu decided to personally investigate just what kind of divine being Yoru was.
---
Yoru didn't know he'd already piqued Madara's interest or been targeted by the shinobi world's greatest ancient schemer.
Hiruzen told him to rest properly for days, so he truly entered vacation mode.
These past days, he'd first teleported the Legendary Sannin back to the border base, then moved between Konoha and Hot Springs Street.
Hot Springs Street was a major entertainment district in Fire Country's northeast.
Though called Hot Springs Street, like Short Book Street in the southwest, it was filled with casinos, hotels, and various entertainment venues everywhere. Only because it was closer to Hot Water Country did hot spring businesses flourish.
This place was Konan's new residence.
From the moment he'd decided to train Konan, Yoru had developed an idea.
Several months later, this idea had evolved into a plan.
Konan was this plan's core—Yoru's secret trump card.
To hide this card, aside from the initial three days, every subsequent visit to meet Konan and teach her jutsu, Yoru would disguise himself when walking in populated areas.
Only when alone with Konan at home with established barriers would Yoru remove his disguise.
Moreover, when checking Konan's growth, Yoru wouldn't conduct assessments in Hot Springs Street but would bring Konan to uninhabited areas in other countries.
Four months passed. Konan had long transformed from an ordinary person into an apprentice ninja.
In canon, Konan could develop secret techniques through hobby alone—her chakra control was similarly exceptional.
With Yoru's protection, she first learned tree climbing, then water walking. Two months later she'd mastered Body Flicker Technique.
After chakra met requirements, she began learning Three Basic Academy Techniques. Now she'd also learned the lowest-consumption Transformation Technique.
This growth speed couldn't compare with Nagato or Kushina Uzumaki who possessed beyond-Kage potential.
But placed in the Five Great Villages' ninja academies, she'd absolutely qualify as genius-level.
Strength wasn't the greatest change.
These months, Konan's greatest transformation was her spirit and vitality.
With Yoru this tycoon's patronage, plus professional nutritional meal plans and training schedules—maintaining three meals daily, early sleep and rising, studying and training—Konan's face had become tender and fair. That collagen-rich baby fat felt completely different from Kushina's round face, making Yoru perpetually unable to resist touching it.
Each visit, besides checking growth and teaching fundamentals, Yoru would educate Konan about the ninja world's common knowledge and power hierarchies, plus secrets only a few people and he as a transmigrator knew, letting Konan gradually understand this world and broadening her horizons.
As her cognition upgraded, Konan's eyes and temperament gradually shed childishness.
Spiritual energy secretion improved. Combined with exceptional physical energy, Konan's chakra reserves also increased considerably.
This growth speed satisfied Yoru greatly.
After some more time, he could educate Konan about bloodline limits and secret techniques.
Then Yoru would slip in personal goods—sharing Jiraiya's secret technique development experience.
First encountering such knowledge, once Konan hit bottlenecks in fundamentals and passed time with origami, she'd definitely try experimenting.
Konan's growth speed was already quite fast.
After all, those who could become Kage-level weren't ordinary people—merely lacking someone to guide them.
But compared to Kushina, Konan's blossoming light was far too dim.
Not just Konan—aside from Nagato who learned six nature transformations in one year, these generations' young geniuses were all small fry before Kushina.
Konoha Year 35, August 18th.
Abandoned training ground.
Yoru and Kushina engaged in a long-awaited no-rules match.
Then... then he got thrashed!
Without using Space-Time chakra, in sensory ninja evaluations, Yoru was a veteran chunin.
At eleven years old with veteran chunin strength—extremely excellent.
Yahiko after three years under Jiraiya's tutelage only reached this level, even far inferior to Yoru.
After all, he lacked Uzumaki sealing techniques and seal-less Rasengan.
Due to chakra insufficiency, upgrading Rasengan to Fire Release: Rasengan was Yoru's current limit.
As for the Superhuman Strength Kushina obtained from Tsunade—Yoru lacked the qualifications.
This was chakra burst technique. The prerequisite was massive chakra as propulsion.
Facing Kushina before she learned Superhuman Strength, Yoru needed to dodge her attacks.
Now with Kushina mastering Superhuman Strength, even dodging proved somewhat difficult.
Chakra bursting from Superhuman Strength was like storms capable of causing Yoru stagger effects.
In taijutsu aspects, Yoru was completely no longer Kushina's opponent.
If he could use blades, Yoru could easily eliminate Kushina.
He was like Hanzo—the natural counter to techniques with obvious wind-up.
Regarding genjutsu, Yoru possessed no talent.
Or rather, his current genjutsu talent didn't yet qualify him to practice Genjutsu: Bringer of Darkness Technique. He still hadn't learned this forbidden technique.
Only knowing several basic genjutsu, he fundamentally couldn't control Kushina.
Kushina who mastered chakra burst didn't even need hand seals to easily escape Yoru's genjutsu.
Fortunately Kushina also wasn't a genjutsu-type fighter, similarly only knowing several basic genjutsu that had zero effect on Yoru who'd mastered Lightning Release nature transformation.
As for ninjutsu...
"Great Ball Rasengan!"
Watching Kushina leap into the air, gathering an energy sphere as large as five basketballs overhead before pressing it down toward him, Yoru's eyes flashed with amazement.
Like Kakashi Hatake with Mangekyo presbyopia, at this moment Yoru seemed to see that prophesied child's reflection in Kushina.
Youth returns!
Without hesitation, Yoru could only dodge via Body Flicker.
With a tremendous explosion, Great Ball Rasengan's erupting energy blasted a massive crater in the ground, dust flying.
"Cough cough..."
Coughing sounds emerged from dust fog. Though the technique's user, Kushina had made herself disheveled and emerged from the crater, looking at Yoru not far away with proud smile: "How about it? Were you startled?"
"Indeed startled. But thinking it's you, suddenly feels reasonable." Yoru praised sincerely, offering extremely high evaluation.
Rarely hearing Yoru speak well, Kushina grew even more pleased.
She placed hands on hips with completely smug expression: "I originally wanted to condense even larger ones, but my chakra control and Superhuman Strength haven't met standards yet. Later I'll show you its complete form and make you—the inventor—die of envy."
"I know what the complete form looks like. I even named it—Super Great Ball Rasengan." Yoru couldn't stand Kushina's smug appearance and couldn't help speaking sarcastically: "Come brag to me after you've learned Rasenshuriken."
"Hmph hmph..."
Kushina didn't get angry, instead boasting: "Even Great Ball Rasengan couldn't stump me. Rasenshuriken won't take me long to learn."
After speaking, Kushina showed an arrogant smile while looking at Yoru provocatively: "Foul-Mouth Yoru, your strength isn't good enough. Don't dare close-in combat, genjutsu has zero effect, ninjutsu requires me holding back without using shadow clones for Five Element techniques. Besides fleeing, do you have any other skills?"
Smack!
Words barely finished when Kushina's head received a slap, her entire body staggering forward and nearly falling.
"Give you three points of good color and you want to open a dye shop." Yoru stated irritably. "On real battlefields, complacent goods like you—I'd eliminate with one blade strike each."
"Damn it, if you've got guts don't use Flying Thunder God Technique!" Kushina covered her head, looking like she was gritting her teeth.
Yoru countered: "Then don't use Three Basic Techniques, don't use Five Element techniques, don't use Superhuman Strength, and don't use Rasengan or sealing techniques either."
"..."
Kushina was instantly rendered speechless, her small face flushing red with anger. Combined with that gravity-defying rising red hair, she resembled a humanoid walking tomato.
Yoru showed the same arrogant smile as Kushina, provocatively beckoning with his finger: "What are you baring your teeth for? If you're not convinced, come hit me."
"If you've got guts don't run—I'll beat you to death!"
Kushina immediately charged over, then got toyed with by Yoru like walking a dog.
---
By nightfall, the Gojo household atmosphere was extremely warm.
The girl who'd been Blood Red Habanero during daytime was now blooming with youthful vitality in the kitchen, finally creating a decent-looking cake under Yoru's guidance.
"Yoru, happy birthday. You're another year older."
That's right—today was Yoru's birthday.
Before Yoru could express thanks, Kushina suddenly leaned close to his face with mischievous smile: "Walking on streets together, who'd know you're actually one month younger than me."
"Smiling so deviously—what do you want to say?"
"Yoru, hurry and call me 'big sister.'"
Kushina revealed her true intentions.
The imagined scene of Yoru angrily breaking down didn't appear.
Yoru simply nodded very readily: "Sure. Fair exchange—you call me 'dad' once, I'll call you 'big sister' once."
"Foul-Mouth Yoru, your mouth is still so foul!"
Kushina completely admitted defeat.
After eating the first cake slice, they initiated cake warfare like last year.
Since it was wartime, Konoha temporarily had no night markets.
After cleaning up, Yoru escorted Kushina back to the First Hokage's mansion.
At nine PM, Yoru lay in bed with hands behind his head, eyes full of anticipation gazing at the ceiling.
As time passed minute by minute, Yoru's eyes gradually filled with disappointment.
When midnight passed, welcoming a new day...
That feeling of arrhythmia, rising body temperature, heartbeat like drumming—still didn't appear.
"...As expected, it didn't come? Looks like next year will be the decisive moment."
Yoru thought inwardly.
Several months ago, Yoru had developed a theory—this evolution resembled the human body's cellular replacement cycle.
At age six, that evolution arrived on Yoru's birthday. After ending, only a portion of cells could extract Space-Time power.
If truly a cellular replacement cycle with precise timing, perhaps it occurred every six years.
If next year's today that feeling still didn't arrive, it would prove Yoru's speculation completely wrong.
He only possessed that portion of cells capable of extracting Space-Time power.
That portion of cells alone already constituted his greatest cheat ability.
To break capacity limitations, he could only rely on Yin Seal or utilize technology for body modification.
If during the first Space-Time power extraction he hadn't internally observed entering his heart's chambers and seeing that black heart, Yoru might think so.
That fleeting internal observation, that black heart, even his intuition—all made Yoru firmly believe that evolution would return. It definitely would!
The sense of disappointment caused Yoru insomnia for several hours. He finally entered dreamland around 4 AM.
During his vacation days, the battlefield situation had already completed its transformation.
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