Compared to setting up barrier techniques underground to block Earth Release users, there was one major advantage to this method—it didn't feel out of place at first. Most Earth Release ninja wouldn't notice anything wrong until they suddenly realized they couldn't move through the terrain... and by then, they'd be wedged between solid rock and soil, stuck and unable to move.
But you weren't just any Earth Release user. Your Lava Release could pierce even obsidian—this kind of obstacle was nothing to you!
Before long, you broke through the rocky barrier and emerged from underground into the Nara clan compound.
You focused your mind and spread your sensory abilities, locking onto the section of the Nara clan archives that housed their vast collection of scrolls. The place was massive, so you could only search room by room for what you needed. Most of it was irrelevant herbal knowledge or books on history.
Fortunately, while the Nara clan was intelligent, they didn't possess the exceptional sensory abilities of the Yamanaka. That gave you plenty of time.
Eventually, in a small standalone hut, you finally found scrolls related to the Shadow Imitation Technique series. You hurriedly jumped through the window to investigate—but didn't expect the pitch-black room to be riddled with traps.
The moment you opened the scroll, the walls extended dark, solidified shadows toward you, aiming to bind you.
Thankfully, the scroll itself was authentic. It seemed the activation method had triggered the trap.
You dodged and flipped through the contents at high speed, relying on your Sharingan to memorize it all instantly. However, you had underestimated the binding power of the Shadow Imitation Technique. Caught off guard in this dark room, you were tightly restrained.
Even your Reverse Summoning Technique failed to transport you away.
In such a confined space, once bound, there was no escape. After all, even if you turned on a light, you couldn't completely eliminate your own shadow!
As long as there was a shadow, the binding couldn't be broken.
"If that's the case... then I'll be the light!"
In an instant, the room lit up brightly. You had cloaked your body in a layer of vivid green flames. Not only did it erase your shadow completely, it also incinerated the solidified shadows restraining you.
Bang!
By the time members of the Nara clan arrived, you had already used the Reverse Summoning Technique to teleport to the outskirts of the Hyuga compound.
You coveted both the Byakugan and their research on chakra pathways.
Because if you could obtain even one of the two, you were confident that you could master the Tsuchikage's secret technique—the "Fission Technique"—a jutsu that even Onoki himself had failed to complete.
It would allow you to divide yourself at the cellular level, creating another you. In other words, even if you encountered conflicting bloodlines, you could transfer one into the clone to resolve the conflict.
And if you added Tailed Beast chakra on top of that, the issue of chakra depletion in such a physical clone would also be fully resolved…
Unfortunately, according to your sensory scan, the Hyuga clan had sealed their compound shut with a wide array of intricate barriers, making it airtight.
Unless you used brute force to tear your way in, there was no chance of infiltrating!
With the Byakugan and vast resources at their disposal, there was no way the Hyuga clan—especially after the Hinata kidnapping incident—would ever leave a single vulnerability behind.
It was getting late, so you reluctantly gave up on the idea.
At the designated time, the shadow clone you left in the dormitory activated a summoning jutsu to send Boss Black Cat back to your location. Then Boss Black Cat performed Reverse Summoning to bring you back as well, concluding your little high-stakes theft operation.
...
Back home, you didn't rest. Instead, you sent Boss Black Cat to help you secretly search for the rumored hidden explosive tags planted somewhere in Konoha.
But you found no leads at all.
You had two guesses.
First, the person who placed the explosive tags was so skilled that even the Byakugan of the Hyuga Main Family might be needed to uncover them—and the Main Family rarely left their compound, so no one had been able to spot them.
Second, it was possible those tags had already been detonated years ago—back when you bombarded Konoha with your Fire Dragons.
...
However, one of your other plans did show promise.
Because Konoha had suffered heavy damage from your previous fire dragon assault, Tsunade's return alone wasn't enough to provide rapid relief.
And the flames had been poisonous, seeping deep into the chakra pathways. Even summoning Katsuyu only bought them time—it couldn't fully cure the damage.
As a result, Konoha had quickly expanded its medical personnel.
Among these new medical ninja were not only Konoha natives with basic medical skills, but also physicians recruited from other factions in the Land of Fire, and even skilled doctors drawn from the civilian population with promises of reward.
Based on your description, Boss Black Cat soon pinpointed the deputy director of Konoha Hospital as the likely target you had been seeking—
The former leader of the Sky Ninja... the famed healer, Shinnō.
This man had used the chaos as cover to slip into Konoha, remaining in hiding ever since.
After reviewing the image drawn by Boss Black Cat and sensing the immense life force radiating from him using Ninneko Sage techniques, you confirmed his identity.
A few days later, a sealed letter of accusation addressed to Hiruzen Sarutobi mysteriously appeared on the Hokage's desk.
Alongside it was a note inviting him to a private midnight meeting.
That night, you donned a swirling Uzumaki mask similar to Obito's, threw on a black cloak, and deliberately exposed a single Sharingan to establish your identity as a rogue Uchiha survivor.
Your goal, ostensibly, was the same as his—
To destroy Konoha.
But after hearing you out, he merely gave you an ambiguous piece of intel:
Your presence had already been reported to the Hokage by the Nara clan.
The reason? The flames you used to destroy the traps in their jutsu vault were incredibly similar in nature to the fire dragons that once ravaged Konoha.
That information soured the mood for both sides. A brief skirmish followed, each of you testing the other with a single punch.
Surprisingly, you were evenly matched.
Unless either of you resorted to high-level ninjutsu or secret techniques, there was no way to defeat the other in a short time.
Thinking it through, you suspected this man might know about Orochimaru.
It seemed the White Zetsu cells you held wouldn't be effective bait—offering them might offend both men at once.
You weren't afraid of them, but such a move could sabotage your plans to profit from Konoha's downfall.
As for promises like "help me break into the Hyuga compound and we'll split the loot"—those were the kinds of empty words that might fool hot-headed youngsters.
But they weren't going to work on a man who looked like he was pushing eighty.
Seeing that both threats and incentives failed, you gave up on trying to rope him into the plan.
Instead, you paid him handsomely to buy a complete set of human chakra pathway diagrams.
Coming from a top-tier medical ninja, you figured it was worth any price—and it helped make up for your failure to obtain the Hyuga clan's secrets.
You two parted ways after agreeing—at least verbally—to consider future cooperation.
...
After that, having exhausted all leads that could potentially strengthen you, you didn't get the ideal results you wanted—but you did at least secure a suitable alternative.
And so, you gave up on collecting more Konoha ninjutsu for now.
Instead, with about ten days left until the final round of the tournament, you focused on studying the secret techniques you had acquired from the Yamanaka and Nara clans…
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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