"Oh? It can shoot that far?" Orochimaru grinned, his interest reignited.
Unlike Danzo, who was purely focused on the range, he cared about something else.
If a Chakra bow could shoot 600 meters, then this Kekkei Genkai must provide a massive boost in terms of Chakra control.
A Kekkei Genkai of this type was quite rare.
He picked up the test tube again, labeled it with a serial number, and wrote down the information.
Then he turned to Danzo and said, "Shed hair can only be used to infer mitochondrial DNA."
"If you want accuracy, you need to provide his blood or hair with follicles."
"I understand," Danzo replied.
Danzo turned to leave but suddenly looked back. "You can set aside Onigumo's genes for now. Focus all your efforts on studying Aokawa's genes."
"It seems Lord Danzo is planning to switch to a different Kekkei Genkai for integration."
"That is my business. You just focus on your research."
After saying that, he walked into the darkness.
Orochimaru held up the test tube and grinned meaningfully... The next day.
At the entrance of Konoha Village.
Uchiha Tetsubi stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze occasionally drifting toward the village.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Two figures, one large and one small, appeared.
Seeing that Kurenai Yuhi and her father had arrived, he started walking forward without a word.
"Wait, Tetsubi!"
Uchiha Tetsubi turned his head in confusion.
"There's still a newcomer for the squad!" Shinku Yuhi said.
Uchiha Tetsubi nodded without speaking.
However, a flicker of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
Yūhi Shinku's Taijutsu was a bit weak, so he was basically the one leading the charge during daily missions.
At first, he was very excited, as it fulfilled his fantasies of Uchiha-style combat.
But over time, he grew tired and really hoped someone would come along to share the burden.
A moment later!
A handsome young man with white eyes appeared in his field of vision.
"A Hyuga? Finally, someone to share the load," Uchiha Tetsubi thought to himself.
"Aokawa, over here, over here!" Kurenai Yuhi waved excitedly.
Seeing his daughter's face blooming like a flower, Shinku Yuhi felt a pang of jealousy.
Once Aokawa arrived using the Body Flicker Technique, he began the introductions. "This is a temporary teammate, Aokawa."
"This is Uchiha Tetsubi."
"As for Kurenai, you both know her."
"Now, each of you describe the combat styles you specialize in."
"Me first, me first!" Kurenai Yuhi raised her hand, her eyes fixed on Aokawa.
"My name is Kurenai Yuhi. I specialize in Genjutsu, and I like..."
Before Kurenai Yuhi could finish, she was interrupted by Shinku Yuhi.
"There's no need for the rest. This is a temporary squad; just talk about your combat specialties."
Yūhi Shinku was just getting into it when her father interrupted her, so she made a face at him.
Shinku Yuhi continued, "Tetsubi, you go ahead."
Uchiha Tetsubi still had his arms crossed as he said in a flat tone:
"My name is Uchiha Tetsubi. I specialize in Taijutsu and Fire Release, and I know a bit of Genjutsu."
The three of them turned their gazes toward Aokawa, who had yet to introduce himself.
"My name is Aokawa, and I am a Medical Ninja."
"...?" Uchiha Tetsubi's eyes widened.
A Medical Ninja?
And then?
Aren't you going to mention your Gentle Fist?
Seeing that Aokawa seemed to have finished his introduction, the usually taciturn Tetsubi couldn't help but speak up.
"Shouldn't the Hyuga Clan be more specialized in Gentle Fist?"
Aokawa explained with a smile, "My Gentle Fist is far inferior to my Medical Ninjutsu."
Not hearing the answer he wanted, Uchiha Tetsubi simply turned around and walked forward without saying another word.
"How great can his Medical Ninjutsu be at this age? If his Gentle Fist is even worse than that, then after all this time, we just got a dead weight."
He grumbled silently in his heart.
"Tetsubi is just like that, he doesn't talk much. Don't take it to heart."
Shinku Yuhi explained while looking at Uchiha Tetsubi's back.
"It's no problem!" Aokawa said.
The three of them caught up to Uchiha Tetsubi.
While traveling, Shinku Yuhi explained the mission details.
"This mission involves entering the Land of Wind to gather some civil intelligence at its border."
"So, my plan is to clear out two bandit dens along the way."
"Then, we'll go to the Land of Tea on our route, pick up someone, and escort them to the Land of Wind."
"This way, we can complete an extra mission and enter the Land of Wind under the guise of guards."
Usually, a captain only needs to give orders when performing a mission.
However, Shinku Yuhi's squad performed missions more for the sake of learning.
Therefore, he laid out all the arrangements and the considerations behind them.
It could be considered teaching by example.
Seeing that the three had no objections, Shinku Yuhi continued:
"For the next two bandit extermination missions, I will not offer suggestions or intervene."
"All task distribution and tactical planning will be handled by the three of you."
"This will be a test to see if you can apply the knowledge you learned at the Ninja Academy."
"Yes!" the three responded in unison.
After a day of traveling, the squad arrived at the foot of a mountain.
Uchiha Tetsubi looked at the map. "The stronghold on the mountain is the Snake Bone Stronghold mentioned in the mission."
"Let's divide the tasks. I'll be responsible for leading the charge. Kurenai, you'll still support me."
"Aokawa..."
Uchiha Tetsubi looked at Aokawa and thought for a moment before saying:
"Aokawa, you provide cover with Ninja Tool throwing. Any problems?"
If his Taijutsu was no good, Ninja Tool throwing was a basic skill, and with the Byakugan, it should be fine, right?
"I'll listen to Aokawa," Kurenai Yuhi replied.
"Good, then..." Uchiha Tetsubi suddenly reacted, his eyes wide.
In the past, he only had to make the arrangements and Kurenai would just say okay. What was this about "listening to Aokawa" today?
"Tetsubi's arrangement is fine. I have no objections."
Aokawa smoothed things over with a smile.
This kid is at least sensible.
Uchiha Tetsubi nodded. "Then we'll need Aokawa's Byakugan for reconnaissance."
"Leave it to me!"
Aokawa activated his Byakugan and took the lead in running up the mountain.
Kurenai Yuhi and Uchiha Tetsubi followed closely behind.
When they reached halfway up the mountain, Aokawa suddenly stopped.
He gripped six Shuriken between his fingers and threw them forward with force.
Swish, swish, swish!
Four Shuriken flew directly into the foliage of several large trees ahead.
The remaining two Shuriken followed an arc.
They curved around the trunks of the trees in front and dove into the thick bushes behind.
Thud, thud, thud!
Six people fell straight down from where the six Shuriken had struck.
They were clearly the stronghold's sentries.
This display of precise Ninja Tool throwing made Uchiha Tetsubi's eyebrows twitch.
Being part of the clan that loved playing with Ninja Tools the most, Uchiha Tetsubi naturally had a good eye.
He could see the high level of skill behind such a seemingly simple throw.
It was easy to hit one person with several Shuriken.
But throwing them simultaneously to hit different people, with two of them being curve attacks...
...was not so easy.
It seemed this teammate wasn't as useless as he had imagined.
Kurenai was also watching from behind with a face full of admiration. If they hadn't been on a mission, she would have started clapping.
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