"Does Konoha Village have darkness?" Nawaki asked.
Orochimaru replied after a moment's thought, speaking in that calm, analytical tone of his:
"First of all, you must recognize the diversity of human nature. Some people are good; some are evil. That's an objective truth you cannot change. Evil deeds will always exist.
Nothing is absolutely right or wrong, it all depends on the stage of the event you are observing."
The two teammates, one from the Sarutobi Clan, one from the Shimura Clan, stared blankly, unable to follow Orochimaru's reasoning.
But Nawaki nodded. Orochimaru-sensei's words made sense, but he couldn't accept them in his heart.
Why couldn't everyone in the village simply work together for peace? Why did darkness need to exist at all?
He forced himself to stop brooding, crouched down, and pressed his fingers to the ground, activating a Senju sensory technique that detected minute vibrations through the earth.
"Enemy attack! One o'clock direction, someone's hiding behind that boulder!"
Nawaki dashed forward first, his two teammates right behind him.
As the de facto squad leader, he would never let his teammates face danger first.
The most dangerous place was his to go, that was his resolve as a man who dreamed of becoming Hokage.
Sounds of combat echoed from behind the boulder.
Orochimaru advanced slowly, unhurried as always. Moments later, the sounds ceased.
Nawaki dragged out the corpse of an Hidden Stone ninja from behind the rock.
"Sensei, there might be a Hidden Stone reconnaissance unit nearby."
Orochimaru nodded. "Mm. You take command, eliminate them."
The three students moved out, while Orochimaru followed at a leisurely pace.
With Nawaki's current strength, ordinary Hidden Stone ninja were no match for him.
Only if a jōnin or elite jōnin appeared would Orochimaru step in.
The second Hidden Stone ninja proved trickier, hiding underground with Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique.
But that didn't fool Nawaki. The vibrations in the soil betrayed the enemy's movement.
Beneath the ground, Yoru tunneled silently, pretending not to notice the pursuing Senju Nawaki. He waited until Nawaki was almost upon him, then suddenly leapt from the soil and body-flickered toward the pre-set trap.
Captain Yellow Dog had crafted this trap himself and was now hiding a full kilometer away, ensuring Orochimaru wouldn't sense his chakra.
All Fox (Yoru) had to do was lure the enemy into the kill zone, and the mission would be complete. Ahead lay a small valley, its entrance blocked by rocks, curving sharply inside.
Just beyond the bend was the trap. He heard the hiss of air behind him, shuriken slicing through. He spun and deflected three with his kunai.
Nawaki appeared instantly, lunging forward with a crushing punch toward Yoru's face.
Yoru raised his arm just in time to block.
A tremendous force surged through his elbow, the Senju clan's taijutsu was known for its raw, sweeping power.
This kid hadn't even taken the Chūnin Exams, yet he hit like a seasoned warrior.
Nawaki himself was shocked, this "Hidden Stone ninja" strength was remarkable.
The vibrations he felt through his punch were solid, unyielding. His opponent's body didn't buckle, only the elbow had shifted slightly, but the shoulder and waist hadn't moved at all.
That kind of stability wasn't from training specific muscles, it meant every cell in his body was tough and strong.
Yoru's Senju bloodline gave him a physique beyond ordinary men.
Just then, another "Hidden Stone ninja" emerged from behind a rock, running toward them as if to help.
Yoru shouted, "Don't worry about me! Deliver the intel! I'll hold him off!"
The other man nodded and fled behind the boulder.
The words "deliver the intel" instantly caught Nawaki's attention.
Whatever intel these Hidden Stone ninja had gathered, could it be about the command post's advance?
His earlier deductions lined up perfectly. After meeting with cloud shinobi, Advisor Homura Mitokado had begun preparing to move Konoha's forward base.
The Hidden Cloud Village was eyeing a weakened Hidden Stone Village, ready to strike, this information couldn't be allowed to leak!
Nawaki formed hand seals, throwing a shuriken.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Watching from afar, Orochimaru nodded approvingly. Nawaki had mastered this complex A-rank ninjutsu, a technique invented by the Third Hokage himself.
(That fool Jiraiya still hasn't learned his teacher's signature jutsu…)
A swarm of shuriken filled the sky, whirring like locusts, their spin screaming like sawblades.
Yoru deflected a few with his kunai, those turned into puffs of white smoke, shadow clones dispelled.
But many others struck true.
Head. Throat. Chest. Abdomen.
Yoru fell to the ground.
Nawaki exhaled, his technique was flawless. The Hidden Stone ninja had taken several fatal hits.
Before dying, Yoru saw Nawaki charge past the rock, turning into the valley.
Then,
BOOM!
A massive explosion tore through the ravine.
Yellow Dog's trap, lined with explosive tags and chakra seals, detonated perfectly.
Even Orochimaru himself might not have noticed it in time.
Senju Nawaki, still too young.
Yoru died.
Darkness fell.
When Yoru opened his eyes again, there was a full moon overhead.
He had returned, to ten days earlier, during the pursuit of Senju Hai.
[Arc of the Full Moon Activated!]
The host has one resurrection opportunity per month. Upon death, revival occurs at the previous full moon night.
Reward, draw one ability:
1. A-rank Ninjutsu: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique (Beginner)
2. Senju Sensory Secret Technique
3. Bloodline: Forest Senju (Upper-Mid Grade, Purifiable)
All… incredibly tempting.
The Shuriken Shadow Clone, the trademark of the Sarutobi lineage, one of the top-tier projectile jutsu in existence. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, Minato, all masters of this technique.
The second option, Senju Sensory Technique, was also extremely valuable. Sensory ninja were treasures, the tactical core of many squads, like the Hyūga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans.
Sensing was Yoru's weakness. If he could gain this technique, his survivability would skyrocket.
The method, pressing fingers to the earth, reading tremors through the ground, paired perfectly with his Earth Release.
But the third option. Another Senju bloodline, and even stronger this time, Forest Senju (Upper-Mid Grade).
Choosing it would raise his blood purity to that of a high-ranking Senju, comparable to Senju Hai himself. With that physique, he could likely reach jōnin level by age twenty.
Yoru thought carefully. Jutsu and secret techniques could be learned later, but bloodline potential was irreplaceable.
The Senju clan's destruction was imminent, if he didn't seize this chance now, he might never again.
While his squad rested, Yoru made his choice.
He selected, the Senju Bloodline.