One week later, Main World, Konoha Village – Training Ground Seven
(Wind Release: Great Cast Net!)
After forming the hand seals, Link extended a thick, translucent cord from his palm. It shot forward at a decent speed—covering several meters in the blink of an eye—but then, just like an ordinary Net cord, it went limp and drooped down, eventually sinking into the ground.
(So this is basically the same as "Vacuum Great Sphere" – just bigger? And that's it?)
He had one of his shadows fetch a rabbit, then infused chakra to manipulate the Great Cast Net cord and "headshot" the rabbit on the spot. The poor rabbit squealed, terrified, fainting the moment it saw the translucent cord pass through its head. It completely missed the part where the cord quickly vanished into its body.
(Right, on contact it's bound, connected to the Net. Then…?)
Link noticed something interesting. This newly caught rabbit was placed on a different "server" than the other rabbits that had been ensnared by the regular Net. It didn't share the usual Net's burden at all.
So basically, the Great Cast Net and the normal Net each created their own "server." Which made sense.
Link didn't bother pondering the implications of this separate "Net server." He canceled the Great Cast Net. More detailed study and development could be left for after Senju Tobirama finished his current workload in the Second Parallel World. Link definitely didn't want to research his own technique alongside Orochimaru—that "slimy snake" always gave him the feeling he might get dissected at any moment.
With the founding of the Ninja Alliance, the Second Parallel World had become insanely busy—managing prisoners, laying out the new mission system, dealing with the various hatreds among the villages, and so forth.
During the long wars, all villages accumulated grudges one way or another. Don't be fooled by how, in the manga, everything seemed fine after the Fourth Great War—the reason it ended so neatly was that Konoha overshadowed everyone else with its strength.
In a typical shounen manga, the easiest way to handle hatred is for anyone who hates something to just die off, like how Chiyo and Sasori did.
But in a shinobi world fresh from the Third Great War, the hate was spread everywhere. Not just in the big villages; plenty of small ones were full of it too. On their way to the last Six Kage Summit, each of the Five Kage had faced assassination attempts. Even in the Land of Fire, the Hokage got ambushed—just a sign of how dire the overall environment was.
Having lived through the Warring States era and three ninja world wars, witnessing endless cycles of hatred, it's no wonder Uchiha Madara turned into the extremist who, in the Fourth Great War, would use any means for "peace." That didn't happen overnight.
On a side note, Uchiha Izuna, after being reincarnated, was promptly forced by his brother to stay under Uchiha Sasuke's watch—currently working as a child laborer in the new dessert café Tomodachi-ya ("Friend House") at the Kannabi Bridge settlement.
Yes, the place was Sasuke's own shop.
Once Madara saw Izuna (reluctantly) mixing with the rest of the Uchiha, he casually grabbed the "first" Hashirama and went off in search of Uchiha Obito. He didn't even mention resurrecting his father or other clansmen—truly cutting ties in one swift motion.
He said that once Obito transplanted his eyes, it would be easy for him to track Obito down. As for how to deal with that man who possessed both Izanagi know-how and Kamui, Madara didn't elaborate. Just said he'd handle it.
Well, might as well trust him for now.
(Still… did that guy truly give up on violently forcing "peace"?)
Link wondered, forming the next set of hand seals for the next jutsu he'd learned—Wind Release: Turbulent Airflow.
He pushed forward with one hand, and in front of him the air truly began to swirl in chaos. At first glance it seemed no different from the original. A dull jutsu name, a dull effect.
He was about to try the next jutsu when he realized the chaotic gusts hadn't subsided. They stayed as ferocious as ever, not gradually dying down.
(Interesting… so it's a single burst of chakra that creates a patch of whirling airflow…)
He waited in silence for about a minute, then the turbulence stopped—abruptly, as if someone yanked the "wind" out from under it.
Judging from that, a single standard measure of chakra produced about a minute of strong wind, covering around three cubic meters—a moderate gust that could hamper an ordinary person, though not really a threat to a ninja. So he doubled his chakra usage and tried again. Sure enough, it still consumed everything in one shot, throwing the air into completely chaotic motion.
This time the area got bigger, the wind faster and more intense. Though this still wasn't enough to faze a ninja, a normal person would be unable to move at all. And it lasted five times as long—about five minutes.
(So it's a situational support jutsu, or maybe a battlefield manipulation jutsu.)
He was decently satisfied. He hadn't really expected much from a technique with such a vague name. Environmental conditions can greatly amplify jutsu, and if natural wind is already present, you don't need as much chakra to generate gusts. Under these conditions, wind-based jutsu definitely get buffed.
The only problem is that, well, he can't even cast a normal wind jutsu if he's alone.
(Right… Konoha only has Asuma, maybe, who's decent with wind release. So does that mean I should team up with "Old Ba" in the future? Could there be something special about folks named "Baki" or "Ba" that bonds them to me or something?)
Link shook his head at his own silly notion and prepared the next jutsu.
…
Takigakure
…?!
Uchiha Obito was about to leave, dragging the captured Seven-Tails Jinchūriki. Suddenly, he sensed an approaching chakra signature.
A giant scythe passed harmlessly through his intangible body. He instinctively wanted to drop the intangibility so he could grab his attacker—but forced himself not to at the last second.
Because the person attacking him stood there, smiling calmly.
"Madara… and… Senju Hashirama?" Obito recognized the scythe hovering in his chest, along with that missed Wood Release strike. The expression under his mask grew grim. (So he's been reincarnated like Tobirama too? And why does he still have almost the same level of power? Hardly any weaker than the last time I saw him.)
In truth, there was a small difference—his chakra had dropped by about a third.
"My eyes working out well for you?" said Uchiha Madara, raising the scythe. A serene grin spread across his face as his Rinnegan stared into Obito's single Rinnegan.
"You think you can slip away right under my and Hashirama's noses? Or do you want to gamble that, in that single instant you re-materialize to enter your Kamui space, we won't kill you on the spot?"
(At least Black Zetsu hasn't come looking for him, and that second Kamui Mangekyō is off in another world. Saves me quite a lot of trouble,) Madara thought. Kamui is a tricky jutsu, but having both eyes together would have been a real pain.
With only one eye for Kamui, even if Obito has an extra Rinnegan, he stands no chance against Madara at his near-prime power. When there's such a staggering gap in base stats, even space-time ninjutsu is riddled with flaws.
Nearby, the "first" Hashirama maintained his Flower Tree World jutsu, Sage Mode markings on his face, speaking earnestly: "Give up, Obito. We don't want to kill you."
"You were a good kid in the village. Whatever issue or demand you have, we can talk it through."
Obito, hidden behind his white mask, scowled. The swelling forest of trees and vines rose up around them, lifting the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki away; Obito couldn't do a thing about it. While intangible, he could still move, but never faster than these two "monsters" could strike. Madara knew his eye techniques far too well—if he tried to re-materialize, he'd die instantly.
The Rinnegan did make him stronger, but the ultimate cheat technique, Izanagi, was no longer freely available—unless he was willing to sacrifice Kamui.
Watching the spreading floral pollen, Obito's face twisted.
~~~
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