The first battle between Konoha and Kumo in the Land of Hot Water ended with Konoha's victory.

  Of the roughly 800 Kumo ninjas stationed in Yu, not a single one survived. On Konoha's side, over a hundred ninjas were lost.

  From the perspective of Konoha's forces, this result felt like a loss. After all, they held a signifit numerical advantage.

  However, Konoha's ninjas held a deep respect for the Kumo ninjas' willio sacrifice themselves in battle.

  This attitude trasted sharply with the other two adversaries from the Third Great Ninja War.

  Most of the ninjas in this unit had never fought Kumo ninjas before; they had only heard of their reputation.

  The Uchiha and Hyūga s had fought against Kiri during the st war and still vividly recalled the Kiri ninja's behavior toward the war's end. To put it bluntly: when winning, they were as fierce as wolves, but when losing, they were more pathetic than rats.

  The Sarutobi , oher hand, had fought against Suna i war and remembered their behavior well.

  They started as a mighty eagle, s over mountains. Then, when they faltered, what they expected to be an 'Eagle's Last Strike' turned into a full-on surrender.

  Although Suna ehe war early for various reasons, this didn't stop them from being a ughingstock alongside Kiri during the Third Great Ninja War.

  Konoha and Kumo emerged as the twin powerhouses of the shinobi world through this flict, each following distinct paths to dominance.

  The war began with Kumo's offensive against Suna, resulting ier's defeat. Suna then allied with their former oppo Kumo to challenge Konoha, who successfully repelled their bined assault.

  While Konoha was engaged with these forces, Iwa and Kiri unched an opportunistic ambush, yet Konoha prevailed on both fronts. Kiri's brief participation in the war ehere with their decisive defeat.

  Kumo then turheir attention to Iwa, while Suna switched allegiao join Konoha.

  In the war's final phase, Iwa mao recim some pride by defeating this new alliahough it wasn't enough to alter the war's oute.

  The accumuted victories and demonstrated strength settled the new order: Konoha and Kumo stood together iop tier, followed by Iwa in the sed, while Suna and Kiri's performances relegated them to the bottom rank.

  For this reason, Konoha's ninjas aowledged Kumo's strength. After today's battle, everyone agreed that their reputation was well-deserved.

  The Uchiha , long fined within the vilge, sought to reassert their title as the stro the shinobi world. The Kumo ninjas were the perfect oppos to prove their strength.

  The Sarutobi hoped to recim glory by colleg the heads of Kumo ninjas, aiming to rise again within Konoha's ninja society. They were tired of beiled by the Uchiha, who mocked them as a of office-bound tea drinkers with more bark than bite.

  The Hyūga 's goal was simpler: they wao demonstrate the value of the Byakugan in proteg the vilge, ensuring tinued support and reition during the Fourth Hokage's era.

  Fame was less important to them than the survival of their .

  After all, both their Byakugan and the Uchiha's Sharingan had unique advantages.

  The Byakugan could see through decisive factors like hidden traps, while the Sharingan could pel enemies into predictable behaviors. W together harmoniously was always the better option.

  With varied motivations, the three s sent news of their victory back to Konoha, ed the battlefield, collected spoils, and began repairing Yu.

  They awaited reinforts from the main forces.

  Despite the allure of Yu's famous hot springs, no one dared to indulge after witnessing the fate of the Kumo ninjas.

  Intelligence revealed that the 800 Kumo ninjas they had defeated were merely an advance force sent to secure Yu.

  The main force of the Kumo ninja vanguard was still sweeping through the Land of Hot Water.

  They could arrive at Yu at any moment.

  Thus, Konoha's forces remained vigint even after their victory.

  ---

  "Please, use our inns. It's the least we do," the vilge elder offered, bowing deeply to Hizashi. "Eae house thirty people fortably."

  "reciate the offer," Hizashi replied, "but my men will o maintain bat readiness."

  A younger innkeeper stepped forward, his clothes still dusty from the ret fighting. "If I may, shinobi-san? The rooms overlook main strategic points. The eastern wing faces the valley approach, and the western wing has a clear view of the mountain pass."

  Hizashi's stern expression softened slightly. "You uand our s well."

  "We've lived with ninja long enough to know the ways of war," the elder added. "The buildings are designed with quick access to rooftops, and ea has at least two exits."

  An Uchiha jonin who had been listening nearby turo Hizashi. "Better than sleeping in the open. Tired shinobi make mistakes."

  "The hot springs are still off-limits," Hizashi stated firmly, looking at both the vilgers and his troops. Several ninja tried to hide their disappoi.

  "Of course, of course," the elder nodded quickly. "But we at least offer proper beds and hot meals. Our cooks are already preparing dinner."

  "Speaking of which," the innkeeper added, "we have ste rooms full of preserved food. Should help with your supplies."

  Hizashi surveyed the vilge, watg as locals and ninja worked side by side to clear debris and repair buildings. Some Yu ninja were already setting up defensive positions alongside Konoha forces.

  "Very well," he decided. "We'll accept your hospitality. Arrahe rotations. I want three shifts, full perimeter ce."

  "Already on it, Hizashi-sama," a Hyūga jonin said.

  ---

  Duriime, Masashi eagerly uned his proverbial loot.

  He sidered himself incredibly lucky.

  In his first battle, he entered someone adept at using Lightning Release chakra—and even got a head as a trophy.

  He felt that the niame "Konoha's Lucky Hand" suited him better. It had such a pleasant ring to it, full of auspieaning.

  Unfortunately, niames were always given by enemies, leaving him with little say. Thinking about the ridioniker given to him by the Kiri ninjas irked him a bit, though luckily, it hadn't spread to the mainnd.

  White Ghost? Who es up with these names?

  Knock, knock…

  A kno the door interrupted his thoughts.

  "e in."

  The door opened, revealing Pakura.

  Masashi smiled. He had noticed her as during the battle.

  At first, she seemed hesitant, but she soon adapted and coordinated well with the others.

  "How was your first battle as a Konoha ninja?" he asked.

  "Not bad." Pakura looked at him, feeling flicted. She observed his rexed posture, the way he seemed pletely at ease despite the ret battle.

  She watched as he ahe scrolls on his desk. One scroll caught her eye—detailed notes on temperature manipution.

  So he's still refining it.

  "That jutsu you used itle..." she started, then paused.

  "Ah, that." Masashi looked up with a slight smile. "Y, of course."

  "You've mastered it pletely." When he had first approached her about learning Scorch Release, she had ughed.

  No one in Suna had ever mao replicate it.

  "Thanks to yuidance," Masashi replied smoothly. And my oabilities, of course.

  Not only had he succeeded, but he was now using it nearly as effectively as she was.

  To be fair, he had shared plenty of teiques with her, making it seem like a fair exge.

  However, Pakura noticed her position in Konoha had bee increasingly awkward.

  People often came to her with ents like, "Masashi is off drinking tea again."

  What did his tea drinking have to do with her? And wasn't drinking tea normal? It wasn't like he was drinking sake.

  Wait, even if he were drinking sake, it still wouldn't matter to her.

  Logically, Pakura uood that having such a eight be her, but she had never sidered this kind of retionship ba Suna.

  She wasn't naive anymore, nor did she view such matters through a childish lens.

  Masashi, as a partner, was undoubtedly the dream of many women: strong, capable, and kied.

  But she was Suna's hero, and the number of men she had killed with her Scorch Release was untable.

  What man would be ied in someone like her?

  Who wouldn't fear being ied by her teique in their sleep?

  Moreover, she was older than him—by five years.

  Pakura, despite never having been in a retionship, felt she uood men well.

  They all shared orait: staying true to their inal aspirations.

  Even on their deathbeds, they'd still prefer 18-year-old girls.

  She suddenly felt her mood take a downturn. Why am I even thinking about this? There's a war to fight.

  Although Pakura's reason for seeking him out was unclear, Masashi still sat with her food chat.

  "You seem troubled," he observed, noting the slight tension in her shoulders. "Settling into the well enough?"

  "The has been... aodating. Your retives are quite different from what I expected."

  Of course they are. We're not the monsters Suna painted us as. Masashi kept his expressioral.

  He leased to see that Pakura was gradually settling into her new role and being aced to her current identity.

  By Uchiha standards, her strength was impressive.

  The power of her Scorch Release y in its "untouchable" nature, and avoiding ta a ninja battle was exceedingly difficult.

  Her tribution to the 's bat strength made Masashi quite proud.

  He was truly a man who worried tirelessly about his .

  Pakura, however, seemed preoccupied, though it wasn't unusual for a young woman to have s.

  After f her and saying goodbye, Masashi reviewed his notes on Scorch Release before returning to his Lightning Release Chakra Mode research.

  "The chakra distribution is simir to the Hyūga's teique," one of his es noted, "but the application is pletely different."

  Yes, and that's exactly what makes it fasating, Masashi thought, examining the scrolls spread before him.

  It was indeed a useful teique, though... It wasly user-friendly.

  The issue wasn't his mastery of lightning nature transformation but rather the nature of the teique itself.

  The Lightning Release Chakra Mode was cssified as a B-rank jutsu, on par with the difficulty of the Majestic Demolisher Fme.

  However, while the chakra trol required was parable, the overall difficulty of mastering the Lightning Release Chakra Mode was far higher than that of the Majestic Demolisher Fme.

  The teique involved releasing chakra tinuously from the entire body while applying lightning nature transformation. This not only heightened physical vitality but also turhe lightning into a kind of armor.

  And this aspect was the most challenging part of the teique.

  To tinuously release chakra from all the body's chakra points, a ninja needed a robust physique capable of handling the strain. This also required an enormous amount of chakra.

  At first g seemed that the only requirement was having plenty of chakra. However, the real problem y in the rarity of individuals in the shinobi world who could release chakra from all their chakra points simultaneously.

  Most ninjas could only release chakra from specific points, such as the hands a, at a given time. This applied even to the direct desdants of the Sage of Six Paths, such as the Senju and Uchiha s.

  The one exception in Konoha was the Hyūga .

  The Hyūga's uanding and trol over chakra points were unparalleled in the shinobi world. They could not only enhance chakra flow through the points but also trol its release.

  This ability allowed them to release chakra from their entire body, which was the foundation for teiques like the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.

  The Lightning Release Chakra Mode of Kumo required a simir full-body chakra release, akin to the Eight Gates Formation, though it was not as extreme.

  However, it also came with risks.

  Releasing chakra from the entire body required exceptional physical vitality, and the process itself ainful. Without a strong body, it was essentially self-harm.

  Only those fully itted to physical training could hope to use this teique effectively. Even then, mastering it to a high level was incredibly difficult.

  Take, for example, the Kumo jonin whom Masashi had killed.

  He had used the Lightning Release Chakra Mode but had been crushed by Masashi's Sage Art: Mighty Hand Transformation.

  He had to admit that while the Lightning Release Chakra Mode appeared powerful, it was useless to him.

  The chakra amount required for this mode could instead be used to jure a massive teique, making it far more cost-effective.

  Still, the chakra utilizatiohod itself was worth studying.

  Kakashi's Chidori was essentially a partial application of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

  Chidori, however, focused more oure transformation of chakra. Using the same amount of chakra, Chidori's nature transformation was more refined. In today's shinobi world, Chidori represehe pinnacle of lightning nature transformation.

  But when it came to the bination of lightning and physical bat, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode of Kumo was far superior. Its chakra release method was more advanced, and its execution speed was quicker.

  Nominally cssified as a B-rank teique, it offered unique insights into chakra usage.

  For instahe Lightning Body Flicker, a high-speed movement teique, erfected through this method.

  Masashi, however, didn't o reach Kumo's extreme standards. He could simply release chakra from his feet, making his Lightning Body Flicker as effective as the Flying Thunder God.

  Realizing this, he was satisfied, his mind bursting with new ideas.

  He retracted his earlier judgment: this teique wasn't useless; it was excellent.

  Once he fully grasped its principles, he could use them to optimize other jutsu.

  In high spirits, he decided to seize this opportunity to train intensively. Once he mastered the principles, he would apply them to gain real insights.

  ---

  For the few days, he immersed himself iless practice.

  As usual, he summoen shadow es to assist him.

  "Even during reparation..." a passing Hyūga member muttered, shaking his head.

  "The Uchiha never cease to surprise."

  Anyone passing by his room would hear stant rumbling noises.

  The Uchiha members were aced to this, but the Sarutobi and Hyūga s were curious.

  It was rare to see someoraining so intensely during a war.

  "What if an enemy attacks and he has no chakra left?" A young Sarutobi asked his senior.

  "That's why he has guards posted," the senior replied, nodding toward the subtle chakra signatures around Masashi's quarters.

  Pakura was also unfazed. She had already witnessed Masashi's interaining regime sining to Konoha.

  However, there were times when she couldn't find him at night. Once, when she wao chat, she searched the tea houses in the northern district but couldn't locate him.

  Whenever she asked about him, people just smiled mysteriously.

  It was se.

  But sidering that he had saved her life, and she didn't feel close to anyone else, Pakura decided to move her room o his.

  Time flew by, and days passed sihe battle at Yu ended. Kumo's army was still o be seee multiple search missions, the Konoha ninjas stationed in Yu found no traces of them.

  It was as if the Kumo ninjas had vanished.

  No one believed they had retreated. Anyone could tell they were preparing for something big.

  As time went on, the atmosphere in the Land of Hot Water grew heavier.

  After several more days, Masashi finally broke his cycle of eating, training, and sleeping. He opened his door, his hair standing on end ically.

  There were also scars on his skin, red marks where lightning had burhrough his defenses.

  Pakura thought he must have gone overboard. With a major battle looming, he had left himself in such a state.

  "What have you doo yourself?" she asked bluntly.

  Masashi was taken aback but then smiled. "It's nothing, just some surface wounds. I fix them quickly with mediinjutsu."

  Having someone express felt nice. With his usual panions like Tetsuka absent, he had been feeling a bit lonely.

  "What if the enemy attacks? Will you have time to recover?" Pakura retorted coldly.

  "That's what you're here for," Masashi replied with a small smile.

  He was aware that she had moved o him and was quietly grateful.

  Good deeds did bring rewards. He gained another friend in the shinobi world.

  "Masashi, I'm alive because of you, and that's why I decided to e to Konoha. You remember that, right?" Her expression remained ral.

  "Of course. It was a good decision. Konoha is much better than Suna," Masashi nodded.

  "I'm not a Konoha ninja, nor a citizen of the Land of Fire. I'm no longer a Suna kunoichi either," Pakura said. "My life was saved by you, so you're the only person I trust. In other words…"

  She said ftly, "If you die, I will probably die too. If you expect me to serve the Uchiha , then please live a little longer."