On the rooftop.
"A complete mess, it can't compare to the past."
Homura Mitokado sighed softly.
This really was the worst class he had ever led.
Hearing this, Masahiko couldn't help but smile: "Peacetime is different from wartime; everyone's vigilance and sense of awe aren't as strong."
"You guys are fine, back in our day..."
Homura Mitokado stopped abruptly at this point and sighed softly, "Forget it, it's not something to be proud of anyway."
He smiled and said, "Shodai-sama and Nidaime-sama overrode all objections and spent a fortune to build the school just so children wouldn't have to go to the battlefield so early..."
Masahiko looked down, nodding with a sigh: "If we really let them go to the front lines early, that would definitely be our failure."
Homura Mitokado remained silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.
He turned his head to look at Masahiko and Kurenai Yuhi, finally fixing his gaze on Masahiko. After a long while, he asked: "How many more times do we have to organize this kind of operation?"
"We'll do it periodically but at irregular intervals; that's the only way to ensure everyone stays alert for emergencies."
Masahiko replied.
After thinking for a bit, he added: "Furthermore, we can integrate it with social practice classes, adding surprise attacks while they are out performing missions..."
He listed them out one by one.
Homura Mitokado nodded repeatedly as he listened. After a moment, he smiled and said: "There's one more thing; we can make use of the clients."
As he spoke, he began to reminisce about the past again.
Masahiko and Kurenai Yuhi exchanged glances, both smiling without saying a word.
"People love to reminisce when they get old."
Kurenai Yuhi said silently.
At the moment the chaos below subsided—
Masahiko's gaze suddenly turned toward the outside of the school, and then he vanished instantly.
Only a voice remained in the air: "There's an enemy!"
Bang!
A signal flare rose into the sky from a corner not far away.
The next second.
Boom!
A violent explosion rang out in a corner of the school, kicking up a massive wave of fire.
That was the effect of the Clone Great Explosion.
Amidst the wave of fire, a person quickly fled toward the outskirts of the village. Suddenly, four massive pillars rose up from below.
And then... thunder roared through the heavens!
Visible flashes of electricity darted rapidly between the four pillars.
Lightning Release: Four Pillar Bind!
The lightning formed a prison. Above, a hole appeared, and a large amount of red clay poured down from it.
The man trapped by the Lightning Release Ninjutsu glanced upward, and then a powerful surge of Chakra erupted from his body.
The aura of his body immediately changed.
Powerful Chakra surged outward, and dark power swirled around him.
Under the intense physical activation, his entire bodily functions received a massive boost. He threw a kick—
Boom!
This kick penetrated the lightning and directly shattered one of the stone pillars.
Immediately following that, his body rapidly recovered, and he ran toward the outskirts of the village at extreme speed.
Just then, a powerful Chakra fluctuation rushed toward him from behind.
At a speed pushed to the limit... a powerful stream of water condensed and gathered on the opponent's arm.
Body Flicker: Hōryū!
Boom!
With a loud bang, both men were shaken back several steps.
Under this strike, the black robe that had already been ravaged by the Clone Great Explosion could no longer hide him; half of it was blown to pieces by the water flow.
The mask on his face also shattered, revealing the face underneath.
However.
This face was not old.
His hair was pitch black, his muscles formed perfect lines, and his face was resolute and powerful.
"It's you again!"
"You have visited Konoha time and again only to leave without saying goodbye... It's truly unsettling not to capture you."
Masahiko stood up straight.
Whoosh!
One by one, ANBU Ninjas followed closely behind, arriving at the scene.
Shennong sneered and suddenly threw a punch into the air to his right.
Clang!
With a crisp sound of collision, Masahiko materialized in mid-air. In the next second, the opponent instantly vanished from the spot.
Immediately following—
Splash!
The Masahiko who had swung the blade collapsed, turning into splashes of water and mist.
Just then, a blade flash erupted within the mist.
In an instant, a figure had already reached Shennong. Shennong's entire body suddenly erupted with a powerful shockwave.
Eight Gates: Open!
Masahiko's blade was slightly stalled, but the air blade formed by concentrated Chakra broke through a line, leaving a deep sword wound.
Blood flowed out but recovered quickly.
After directly opening the Sixth Gate, the Chakra on Shennong's body gushed out, condensing a green light around his body.
He threw a punch at Masahiko's back.
But in the next second, the Shadow Clone exploded again, turning into soaring flames.
It was the Clone Great Explosion again!
Masahiko's original body was hidden in the shadows, forming hand seals once more and spitting out a massive amount of fire from his mouth.
The surrounding Anbu members stepped aside one by one, not daring to participate in this epoch-making battle.
Shennong escaped from the flames with several burn marks on his body, looking incredibly pathetic. Just as he emerged from the fire... he saw a massive fireball rushing toward him!
Before it even reached him, under the influence of the chaotic Chakra within the flames, the fire expanded and exploded chaotically.
Shennong was knocked over by the shockwave.
With a large amount of Chakra protecting him, he didn't suffer any serious injuries, but he no longer had any will to fight and rushed straight into the distance.
The others performed techniques one after another to obstruct him, however... Bang!
With just one punch, their Water Dragon Bullets and Lightning Release were all shattered; they couldn't hinder him at all.
Furthermore—
The Shadow Clone of one of the Anbu members swung its blade to block, but it was directly dispersed by the Chakra air current from the approaching opponent, not even having the qualification to throw a punch.
Until the opponent disappeared, they hadn't been able to stop Shennong in the slightest.
Even between Ninjutsu, there is a gap!
The ANBU Ninjas then looked toward Masahiko.
Previously, they had felt that... Masahiko's tactical strategy was somewhat conservative.
But only when truly facing him did they realize how terrifying this person's strength was. A look of awe flashed in their eyes, and they became increasingly respectful toward Masahiko.
"Is anyone injured?"
Masahiko used Body Flicker to move forward.
The Anbu members shook their heads.
In this interception, they weren't even the main course and hadn't caused any effective damage to the enemy at all.
On the contrary, Masahiko had shattered the opponent's disguise with only a few moves, revealing the man's true face.
They looked at each other and shook their heads repeatedly.
"But this person..."
"Record his appearance and characteristics."
Masahiko said.
He paused slightly: "As for the rest, report to Hokage-sama."
"Yes!"
Several people dispersed using Body Flicker.
At this time, Kakashi finally hurried over, but the enemy's traces were already gone.
Masahiko briefly explained the situation.
A look of surprise flashed in Kakashi's eyes: "He can even use the Eight Gates?"
"Yes."
Masahiko nodded, "To be honest, this is the first time I've seen the Eight Gates. I didn't dare to go head-to-head with him and could only use tricks to stall..."
"This person is very likely the leader of the Sky Ninja Village from back then. He's very mysterious and his strength is unfathomable. We failed to capture him back then."
Kakashi said.
"I was also worried, so I left a Shadow Clone in the shadows. I didn't expect..."
Masahiko frowned, "This person has been hiding in the Land of Fire all these years, perhaps... even right around us."
"Yes!"
Kakashi nodded, his gaze solemn, "I'll go handle this first. I'll leave the Ninja Academy to you."
"Alright, he won't be coming back in the short term."