Training!
It had been almost a week since I arrived at Orochimaru's lair. I was wearing a cloak, making my way towards a hidden exit of Orochimaru's base, with him escorting me and finishing up our plans for the near future.
"I'll need three more things from you Orochimaru. There is a body, one from the Yuki clan buried in the land of waves, I suspect somewhere near the new bridge built there. If not it shouldn't be too far. Zabuza's kubikiribōchō should point to the location of the grave. The people around should also know the location, so extract the information as you see fit."
Orochimaru gained a thoughtful look in his eyes at that.
"The Yuki-clan, creating and manipulating ice. Indeed very valuable… depending on the environment. You would need the correct conditions to use the ice release…" – Orochimaru analyzed.
"Which won't be a problem once I get my hands on the Second Hokage. You need to make the preparations before the last stage of the chunin exams." – I explained.
"Indeed, the Second Hokage was the only one known to use water Jutsus without the need of a water source nearby. Also a genius at inventing Jutsus… especially forbidden ones. Some of my favorites are his creations, kukuku…" – Orochimaru recalled as he laughed, walking down and forming a seal with his hand, opening a door as we continued further away from the base.
"And what is the third thing you need? Just the sacrifices need to bring back Kushina numbered around 10 of my lab tests, bringing the Yuki woman should cost us considerably less, but for the Second Hokage… I can't tell yet. This is clearly a rush order, Is something wrong, or are you worried about being discovered?" – Orochimaru asked as he looked at me from the corner of his eyes.
"Things never go as planned, my plans have already diverted from the original path multiple times now. I can't be sure of what will happen in the far future… but with enough strength, I can start to twist and turn it in my direction. As for the last thing… I need you to provide me with information regarding Kisame Hoshigaki. The location would be the best-case scenario. If you can set up a meeting even better, but even locations he occasionally frequents will do."- I explained as we finally reached the base's exit.
"It will take some time to track him down, but why Kisame? The Second Hokage should be more than enough regarding Water-style." – Orochimaru inquired as we stopped at an opening outside the base.
"It is not Kisame the one that I'm interested in, he's just a bonus… it is his sword that intrigues me. If I'm not wrong, it should be alive, sentient, and capable of consuming a ridiculous amount of chakra in one fell swoop. The perfect weapon to overcome an enemy with an unheard amount of chakra. Plus…"
As I stopped talking I released my chakra, my pressure weighing heavily on Orochimaru as he was forced a few steps back. A red aura came off my body as the earth cracked and the trees in the vicinity were blown off. My 3-tomoe Sharingan spun as my eyes shone red.
"I am dying to test my strength against someone. The Hokage will be weakened so it won't be very accurate. An S-Rank Nin should do the job, especially if he is accompanied by a partner." – I smiled as I reigned back control of my chakra.
Orochimaru approached once again, this time with a huge grin on his face. "Kukuku, I'll make sure to locate Kisame, I'll be sure to accompany you, should any try to interfere from outside." – Orochimaru spoke seriously.
"Are you expecting someone to?" – I asked him as I pulled the hood of the cloak over my head.
"Someone or something called black Zetsu keeps watch of every movement of the members within Akatsuki. I have found it incredibly hard to detect its method of movement and it has considerable skill in hiding its presence. I'll try my best and make sure it doesn't interfere if it happens to be in the vicinity…"
"It's okay, he will be more interested in watching the fight than participating. I should start to get back now, get me Tobirama and get him back fast, I'll be back before the exams." – Leaving Orochimaru to his task, I flickered out of sight and made my way towards Konoha.
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As I approached the training site, all I could see were craters, not even thinking of what kind of training Neji must have been through… who am I kidding, I knew exactly what kind of training he went through.
The problem with concentrating all your chakra in one point and releasing it was that it could backfire… badly, it could destroy the user's hands, taking away the lifestyle of a shinobi. This technique primarily used by Tsunade required precise control over one's chakra. Neji definitely had the control and could perform the technique, he just needed… inspiration.
As I walked close to a tree where my clone and Neji had set camp, the clone turned his head towards me, nodded, and dispelled himself. Neji who was sleeping immediately woke up and looked at me surprised.
"A clone? This entire time?" – he asked. I merely looked at him with a small smile.
"Your physical prowess has improved, now we work on your reflexes. Your rotation will only work on the common techniques. A powerful technique with a single point of impact will breakthrough and possibly waste your arms beyond repair… if it doesn't kill you. Most of these techniques, while powerful will only aim for center mass. They wont aim for your head, not for your limbs either, making the chest the most probable target. Though lower Torso might also get targeted as it is harder to dodge, it is a rsik for them if you survive it." – As I explained until there Neji suddenly raised his hand.
"But how do I tell where they are going to attack? Isn't it a last second decision?" – Neji asked.
"Rarely, it is a Jutsu carrying momentum as well as concentrated chakra, few shinobi have the skill to pull off a last second change in their jutsu's direction. Everything is decided before they even weave the signs. They have already seen it happen before they do it, they have a clear image of it. And that is when you can tell where they will attack. Users of this kind of Jutsu's will carefuly lock their eyes into their intended destination a couple of time or for a few seconds while weaving the signs, or it might even be right after they finish weaving the signs. The torso is a safe bet, so when you see them approaching a twist in the last second will make them waste the Jutsu, the chakra, their stamina as well as give you an opening. At such a close proximity all you have to do as a gentle fist user is simply touch them and it'll be match over."
"I understand, with my byakugan I should have a much easier time predicting the enemies target." – Neji said as I nodded.
"In theory… now let's put it to the test. Survive until you reach the village. Lesson Number 1 Neji." – I said as I flickered out of sight.
The moment he heard my words, Neji's byakugan came to life as he redirected one oof my strikes coming from his blind spot. Moving the arm a little out of course he struck three points in it… not with gentle fist but with chakra enhanced strength, aiming to break it into multiple pieces. Guess he had learned to not use gentle fist against me.
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(EXTRA FOR FUN)
(Neji POV)
"In theory… now let's put it to the test. Survive until you reach the village. Lesson Number 1 Neji." – He said as he flickered out of sight.
I knew he'd attack from my blind spot but that wasn't the problem… he said I had to survive until I reached the village… SHIT
---- 20 min later----
SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT… HE WAS SERIOUS, NOT THIS SHIT AGAIN… DID THE CLONE NOT TELL HIM I ONLY HAD BEEN ASLEEP FOR HALF AN HOUR. HE HAD BEEN FUCKING THROWING ME FROM ONE SIDE OF THE FOREST TO ANOTHER TO LEARN AND NOW HE'D TRY AND KILL ME UNTIL I REACHED THE VILLAGE… …. … … … WHICH WAY IS THE VILLAGE?!?!?!?!