The bond between a master and their disciple in the shinobi world is profoundly intimate.
If a master's core techniques are suitable, they will pass them down to their disciples without reservation. They design and research new jutsu specifically for them and guide them in building their own tactical systems. Furthermore, a master looks out for their disciple's future, cares for their psychological growth, and might even arrange their marriage.
Therefore, formalizing such a relationship is never just about the two individuals; it directly impacts their families and even the standing of their respective clans. It is a solemn, weighty, and deeply serious matter.
Aburame Tetsumaru had given this move significant thought. He had two primary reasons for taking them on.
First, the three children were genuinely talented. The foundation of any apprenticeship is finding "raw jade" to meticulously carve into a pillar of the village. Having spent over a year with them, Tetsumaru understood his subordinates' strengths and weaknesses far better than their own parents did. He had already mentally mapped out their future development paths. They worked well together, their relationship was close, and formalizing it was simply the natural next step.
Second, Tetsumaru needed to build a personal network to protect himself in the coming years.
His "Swarm System" was destined to explode in scale after the war, but he was hitting a political glass ceiling. He might remain stuck as a Tokubetsu Jonin for a long time. For the past five years, he had leaned into his reputation as a "Leaf Genius," but on the actual battlefield, he had cultivated a somewhat eccentric and unreliable reputation. This, combined with the shadows cast by the clan's stars like Aburame Shige and Aburame Shibi, had kept him under the radar and relatively safe.
However, today's events had proven his true value, and that realization would inevitably bring new headaches.
Specifically, he was worried about Danzo—the "Blame-Shadow" of Konoha. Ever since Danzo's disastrous failure as a front-line commander, the man had completely spiraled into darkness. His obsession with kidnapping and brainwashing people for Root had only intensified, and several Aburame ninjas had already been "invited" to join his ranks.
Tetsumaru shuddered when he remembered the original timeline, where Shige's son was sent into Root as a sacrificial substitute for Shibi.
In the past, Tetsumaru had enjoyed the protection of his clan. Even when he was caught up in their internal politics, the consequences were manageable. But at the Tokubetsu Jonin level, if the clan faced external pressure, the elders would almost certainly sacrifice a branch member like him to protect the mainline heirs. Starting now, his clan could no longer be relied upon as a shield; they were just as likely to become accomplices in his persecution.
Of course, if his combat power reached the level of the Sage of Six Paths—or even the First Hokage—no one would dare trouble him. He could say whatever he wanted and do whatever he pleased; he would be the Homelander of the shinobi world.
Unfortunately, his clash with the Kazekage had confirmed that for a very long time, he wouldn't be able to reach that transcendent level of strength. He couldn't simply suppress all his problems with raw power.
When strength is insufficient, one must rely on connections to form a "community of interest." Tetsumaru needed support from outside his clan. Apprenticeship was the simplest way to forge those bonds, and since his three subordinates were perfect candidates and he happened to be in an excellent mood, everything fell into place.
The three newly-minted disciples were equally thrilled. Tetsumaru's official reputation was completely detached from his actual strength. Even ignoring his terrifying ability to command an ocean of insects, his personal combat prowess far exceeded that of an ordinary Jonin.
The only masters more qualified than Tetsumaru would be the Sannin or the White Fang. But if such legendary figures were looking for disciples, the mainline clan heirs would break each other's heads competing for the spots; ordinary clan members wouldn't stand a chance.
Moreover, the three had long since realized that Tetsumaru was a brilliant teacher. He possessed a breadth of knowledge from two lifetimes, a deep understanding of the nature of jutsu through his chakra rune research, and an intimate knowledge of human anatomy through his development of Ninjutsu Meridian Mastery. On top of that, his medical and pharmacological skills were top-tier.
He was, quite frankly, overqualified to be a teacher.
To celebrate the occasion, Tetsumaru brought out a massive stash of meat, drinks, and sweets for a feast.
Once they had eaten their fill, the four of them were still buzzing with excitement. Tetsumaru suddenly had a bright idea. "Let's set off some fireworks," he suggested.
"Awesome!" Inuzuka O cheered, immediately bouncing to his feet.
"Sensei, won't fireworks give away our position?" Nara Yoshito asked, his rational mind still working.
"Don't worry, Yoshito. We'll just set them off over the Suna camp."
"Wait, what?"
Tetsumaru led his three disciples out of the base and toward the Suna encampment. They hit the Sand's outer sentry line about seven or eight kilometers out.
"Tch, how annoying... wait, hold on." Tetsumaru, who had been ready to turn back, noticed that the Suna ninjas' concealment techniques were incredibly amateurish. "They're all Genin? What's going on here?"
Suddenly, one of the Suna ninjas moved, catching the eyes of the four Konoha shinobi. He wove a series of hand seals, quickly finished a technique, and went back into hiding. Shortly after, several other ninjas in the vicinity did the same.
While the Genin were still guessing, Tetsumaru saw the technique for what it was.
Transmission, Sensing, and Amplification. It's a communication jutsu. I see—these kids are just fodder alarms designed to die to send a signal.
That made things easier. As long as they moved within the intervals between the signal transmissions, they could strike without alerting the main camp.
After neutralizing a few sentries, they climbed a ridge overlooking the Suna base. From their vantage point, the camp was a sea of flickering lights and moving silhouettes.
Suddenly, a flash erupted within the camp, followed seconds later by a muffled boom. Another Landmine Insect had been triggered.
The explosion didn't cause even a ripple of panic. The lights that were snuffed out by the blast were quickly relit. Tetsumaru guessed they were busy digging up and intentionally detonating his hidden traps.
"Time is tight, let's not waste it," he muttered.
Tetsumaru swapped the payloads on his Explosive Flight-Locusts for incendiaries and released them. Predictably, the Third Kazekage was on duty. The locusts were intercepted by a swarm of Iron Sand, but the high-temperature incendiaries ignited the iron upon impact.
Dazzling "iron-tree silver-flowers" lit up the night sky like brilliant sparks. Thousands of molten "shooting stars" rained down, creating a sight of terrifying beauty.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Four more brilliant blossoms of fire erupted, followed by dozens more.
The master and his three disciples watched the display from the ridge, clapping softly. It was a job well done. The banquet was now complete. Before the Suna search parties could converge on their location, they slipped away into the night.
Back at the hidden base, they continued to eat and drink. Tonight, they were pulling an all-nighter.
Tetsumaru hadn't noticed that they weren't the only ones watching the show. Hidden in the shadows were scout ninjas dispatched by Orochimaru.
As Tetsumaru's technology improved, his Secret Technique: Domain Field Barrier had expanded significantly. His sensing radius had grown from one kilometer to three, increasing his data coverage by nearly thirty-fold. However, a flaw had emerged: Tetsumaru's mind hadn't yet caught up to the massive influx of information. Once his attention was occupied by a high-intensity event—like a Kage-level fireworks show—he tended to overlook ninjas hiding at the edges of his perception.
The scouts were terrified by the scale of the "fireworks" exchange between Tetsumaru and the Kazekage. They rushed the news back to headquarters, where it caused a localized earthquake of shock.
The comms ninja who first read the report thought he was hallucinating. He rubbed his eyes, read it again, and then re-read it three more times before shouting, "This is impossible!"
A single Tokubetsu Jonin and three Genin had harassed a thousand-man Suna army into a stalemate. During the day, the Sand had only managed to advance ten kilometers; at night, they were reduced to huddling together and taking a beating.
Even with the Kazekage himself in the ranks, they were powerless to stop it.
Was this possible? No!
Either Hashirama Senju had returned from the grave or Madara Uchiha had been resurrected. On paper, this record was even more impressive than Hanzo of the Salamander's feats.
"What's impossible?"
Ninjas are inherently curious, and within moments, a crowd of "melon-eating" spectators had gathered.
"Unbelievable... how did they pull this off?"
"Is there anyone here from the Aburame clan? No? Go find one! They're from the same family, they must know something."
One staff officer suddenly slammed a fist into his palm. "Wait, Orochimaru-sama must have known. Otherwise, why would we be here?"
"Oh! Right, right. That makes sense."
"You go ask Orochimaru-sama when he gets back."
"Why me? You do it!"
"I'm too scared. My teeth chatter just looking at him."
"Coward. ...I'm not doing it either."
Amidst the bickering, the tent flap was pulled aside. A long-haired ninja stepped in, draped in a chilling, predatory aura.
The crowded tent instantly went silent, like a bunch of mice spotting a python. The ninjas froze, some even shivering, until the middle-aged officer in charge gathered his courage. "Orochimaru-sama!"
"Has the intelligence on the Kazekage arrived?"
"It's right here." The officer snatched the report from a younger ninja and handed it over with both hands.
Orochimaru took the scroll with practiced nonchalance. He scanned it once, then immediately locked on, reading every word with surgical intensity. He strode to the newly laid-out map, cross-referencing the coordinates and studying the terrain.
Finally, Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile.
Heh. Heh. Heh.
The laugh was so unnerving that the Konoha "mice" stopped shivering and turned into ice sculptures.
Just then, the flap opened again. A flash of brilliant blonde hair, like a ray of sunshine, brought a wave of warmth into the tent. The ninjas felt like they could finally breathe again.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Tsunade gave a curt nod in response to their salutes. She marched over to Orochimaru. "I haven't heard you laugh like that in years. What's the good news?"
Following Tsunade were several Jonin. At their head was a blue-haired young man with a warm, slightly apologetic smile, greeting everyone with genuine heat.
"Jonin Kato." "Lord Kato Dan."
Kato Dan walked straight to Tsunade's side, standing just behind her. He gave a polite nod. "Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru handed the scroll to Tsunade before turning to Dan. "Dan, how was the patrol?"
"We found two Suna scouts. They've been dealt with."
"Good. On my end..." Orochimaru started, but Tsunade cut him off.
She grabbed Orochimaru by the collar and began shaking him. "How is this possible? Is the Kazekage a joke? He's being suppressed by one guy? Orochimaru, this Aburame Tetsumaru is your subordinate—tell me this is a fake report!"
The agitated Tsunade completely forgot that Orochimaru couldn't speak while being throttled. He cast a helpless look toward Kato Dan. Dan, ever sharp, had already ushered everyone else out of the tent. Once they were alone, he stepped in to de-escalate.
With a few sweet words, Dan successfully diverted Tsunade's attention, rescuing Orochimaru whose neck had been stretched by half a foot.
Orochimaru rubbed his throat and sighed as he watched Tsunade look at Dan with a face full of bliss. Women are more complicated than forbidden jutsu. How irritating.
He blamed Jiraiya. If that idiot hadn't spent ten years failing to woo Tsunade, a stranger wouldn't have waltzed into their team dynamic and made everything awkward. If it were Jiraiya and Tsunade being affectionate, Orochimaru could just ignore them in peace.
Hmph. Foolish Jiraiya. Staying in the Land of Rain to teach some 'Savior.' He's going to cry when he gets back.
Orochimaru slipped out of the tent, radiating a mix of coldness and resentment. He used the excuse of checking the camp's security to give himself some space. He had no interest in being a third wheel.
Taking two thousand men across the Land of Rivers to intercept the Kazekage's rear was a massive gamble. Ordinarily, no amount of caution would have been enough, but now, the necessity for worry had vanished.
To the west, Sakumo Hatake was about to launch the final strike on the Suna supply lines. To the east, Aburame Tetsumaru had pinned the Kazekage down so effectively he couldn't move. There were no organized Suna forces left to threaten Orochimaru's battalion.
Victory was in his grasp. Whether he moved west to strike Sunagakure directly or east to help finish off the Kazekage, the outcome would be the same: the total defeat of the Sand.
To be honest, Sakumo's success was expected, but Tetsumaru's performance was beyond his wildest imagination.
Two shocking victories on two key battlefields—it was a stroke of luck for Orochimaru, and a stroke of luck for Konoha. The original plan had been to force Suna into a surrender; now, Orochimaru was changing his mind. Within a month, Sunagakure would be history, and Konoha would finally be free of the pressure of a three-front war.
The young Orochimaru walked beneath the moonlight, full of ambition, planning the final chapter of the Hidden Sand.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Wind, Sashin the Vulture received an urgent report. He immediately ordered the supply team to abandon their damaged wagons and equipment. They began a forced march toward a Suna fortress forty kilometers away.
Sakumo Hatake wasn't about to let them rest. If the Sand were moving all night, he was too.
In a running battle of pursuit and interception, the Suna supply team covered those bloody forty kilometers. They finally reached the safety of the fortress walls, where they rendezvoused with reinforcements from Bear Cedar City.
Sakumo stood on a dune, looking at the fortress. Behind him stood twenty-odd Konoha ninjas, drenched in blood and radiating a lethal aura after a night of slaughter.
"Their numbers have grown," the White Fang said, his smile revealing eight brilliant white teeth. "But what does it matter? It just means there are more people to die tonight."
Sakumo turned to his subordinates. "Go to Position 29. Tell Orochimaru-kun we need his support."
"Yes, sir!"
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