"You seem to be getting along quite well, Kiyosuke. How's the war going in Kirigakure?"
Orochimaru asked casually.
Kiyosuke grinned. "Orochimaru-sensei, I made a huge contribution this time."
"Oh?"
"I took down four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist all by myself! How's that for impressive?"
"All by yourself? No backup at all?"
"Well... I did have a bit of help from Aburame Shibi and Akimichi Torifu."
"Still, not bad," Orochimaru nodded with a slight smile. "Even with their support, taking down four of the Seven Swordsmen on your own is no small feat."
Hearing that, Anko shot her hand up and asked quickly,
"You mean those Seven Ninja Swordsmen from Kirigakure?"
She had heard stories about how terrifying those seven were—powerful enough that even a Hokage had to tread carefully when facing them. And he took out four of them? Alone?
She didn't believe it!
"That's right." Kiyosuke smiled. "It's just a matter of distraction and picking them off one by one. Once you have intel on them, it's not so hard."
Orochimaru turned to his young disciple.
"Anko, Kiyosuke is a very special case. The amount of destruction he can unleash is beyond what you can imagine. You're still young. Someday, when you've grown stronger, you'll understand what he's truly capable of. But I believe you'll become a powerful kunoichi in your own right."
He was quite fond of this little disciple and genuinely believed she had the talent to become an exceptional ninja.
Kiyosuke, recalling Anko's future, knew she would grow into a bold and unrestrained kunoichi—both in personality and fashion sense. She'd eventually become a Special Jonin, if he remembered correctly.
Though... it might have had something to do with Orochimaru messing with her.
Back when Orochimaru was experimenting with the Cursed Seal, Anko had been one of the early test subjects—back when the technique was still unstable.
That might've affected her growth.
But that was a conversation for another time. Still, thinking about what Anko might turn into in the future...
He shuddered. Best to steer his junior down a better path if he could help it.
"I'll definitely become a ninja as amazing as you one day, sensei!" Anko said, looking up at Orochimaru with admiration in her eyes.
Orochimaru merely gave a slight nod and turned to Kiyosuke.
"So, with Kirigakure losing the Seven Swordsmen, I assume they'll retreat soon?"
"Maybe," Kiyosuke said. "I can't say for sure."
After all, Konoha's current approach toward Kirigakure was mostly defensive.
"How's the war going in the Land of Wind, Orochimaru-sensei?" Kiyosuke asked.
Orochimaru busied himself with some lab equipment as he replied flatly,
"After a few sacrifices, Konoha managed to break into the Land of Wind. Once negotiations were concluded, we pulled back to the borders of the Land of Fire. Shinnosuke is stationed there now."
Sunagakure's stubborn resistance had been troublesome. Wanting to end this tiresome war quickly, Orochimaru had used a portion of his forces as bait to lure out the enemy. Without Chiyo to lead them, the Sunagakure troops had fallen for it. He wiped them out in one swift strike, then launched a direct assault deep into the Land of Wind.
Sunagakure had no choice but to shift from offense to defense, digging in desperately. With the situation mostly stabilized, Orochimaru had been recalled to Konoha to be on standby in case anything else went wrong.
Sunagakure couldn't hold out much longer anyway—their funding had been slashed by the daimyo of the Land of Wind.
Serves them right for losing.
Now, they were neck-deep in an economic crisis. Rasa, who had just taken over as the Fourth Kazekage, was constantly stressed and rapidly losing weight.
Recently, he had even started eyeing his own gold dust for income.
What choice did he have? He had to sacrifice the few for the sake of the many.
Back in Konoha, Orochimaru was riding high—rumors had already begun to spread that he was being considered as the next Hokage.
In short, Konoha had scored a major victory over Sunagakure.
"I came across a talented orphan on the battlefield. A shame he refused to come with me.'"
Remembering the boy named Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh. That child had remarkable potential—perhaps even surpassing Kiyosuke.
"Yakushi Kabuto…"
Well, as long as Orochimaru didn't die, that future wouldn't come to pass.
"Why not just bring him back? He's an orphan anyway."
"He didn't want to, and I won't force him," Orochimaru said, eyes cold and sharp like a predator's.
"But I have a feeling… one day, he'll come to me of his own accord."
"Fair enough. Oh, by the way, Orochimaru-sensei, do you have any Water Style jutsu? Preferably ones developed by the Second Hokage?"
Orochimaru looked at him curiously. "The Second Hokage's Water Style? What do you need that for?"
Kiyosuke crossed his arms. "I got completely trashed by someone using Water Style. I need to get my revenge!"
"Water Style doesn't suit you. It's going to be a hassle for you to learn."
"No worries. I've got Shadow Clones. I can speed up the learning process."
"In that case, I'll teach you the simplified Water Dragon Bullet Technique that the Second Hokage developed. Anko, you pay attention too."
"Yes!" Anko immediately found a seat and sat down attentively.
Orochimaru stood in front of the two and began teaching.
"The Second Hokage's Water Style techniques are some of the most powerful in the ninja world. The simplified Water Dragon Bullet is still a B-rank technique, but he managed to reduce the original forty-four hand seals down to just four. That kind of reduction requires a deep understanding of Water Style—otherwise, even if you manage to perform it, the power will be greatly diminished.
"The sequence is: Rat, Dragon, Hare, Tiger. The chakra flow works like this…"
And so, Orochimaru's lecture began!
Kiyosuke and Anko listened intently. After teaching them the simplified version of the Water Dragon Bullet, Orochimaru even handed them the full version with all forty-four hand signs.
He expected them to master it eventually.
Not only that—he also pulled out two scrolls from his personal collection.
"These are the simplified and original versions of two Water Style techniques developed by the Second Hokage. Study them well. If anything's unclear, come ask me."
"Thank you, Orochimaru-sensei."
Kiyosuke unrolled the scrolls. One was a simplified Water Formation Wall—just two hand seals required to activate. The other was Water Release: Surfing Strike.
It was one of the Second Hokage's signature techniques—using Water Style to create an ideal environment for rapid aquatic movement. It could be used near rivers or lakes, allowing the user to glide swiftly across the surface.
A highly practical Water Style technique for mobility in aquatic terrain.
Kiyosuke carefully stored the scrolls. He decided he'd spend the next few days training in these two jutsu.
After all, he would be returning to the battlefield in Kirigakure soon—and mastering Surfing Strike was essential.
That way, he wouldn't be stuck running like a headless chicken whenever someone used Water Style against him.
This was the first jutsu he had to master.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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