The night was quiet, but not peaceful, the trees around Senju Training Ground 11 whispered softly in the wind, their branches creaking like old bones. It was one of the lesser-used locations, distant from most shops and free of late-night patrols. Perfect for someone who wanted to experiment without raising questions.
Kuma Senju stepped into the clearing with slow, deliberate steps, moonlight glinted off the dew-slicked grass, and the small pond near the edge of the field shimmered beneath the stars.
He let out a breath The air was cool and fresh. Clean. It reminded him of the training fields in the anime, those quiet places where characters sharpened themselves into legends.
He stood still for a moment, then opened his eyes.
____
[Editor System – Active]
Current Available Points: 2,300
Jutsu List Detected:
Water Release: Slashing Wave (B-Rank)
Water Release: Water Bullet (C-Rank)
Water Release: Surface Flow Technique (C-Rank)
______
Kuma scrolled through the interface with his mind, hovering over each jutsu until he found the one he'd been thinking about since he first saw the Editor system menu.
Water Release: Slashing Wave.
He selected it, Immediately, a breakdown of stats filled the mental display like a diagram of a chakra textboob except interactive and fluid.
____
[Water Release: Slashing Wave]
Rank: B
Chakra Cost: 45
Size: 2 meters
Sharpness: High
Pressure: 100 PSI
Range: 25 meters
____
Editable Attributes:
Size
Sharpness
Chakra Consumption
Range
Flow Direction
Cast Speed
____
Kuma smirked, This is unreal."
He hovered over Chakra Consumption, and a sliding bar appeared, starting at 45.
"Let's test this," he muttered, he moved the bar down from 45 to 20, and the system calculated the required Editor Points.
[Editor Points Required: 15
Confirm Edit?]
He confirmed without hesitation.
[Edit Complete. New Chakra Cost: 20
Editor Points Remaining: 2,285]
Kuma exhaled slowly, forming the hand signs, "Water Release: Slashing Wave," A sharp arc of water exploded from his mouth, carving through the air and slicing the edge of a tree. It looked exactly the same. The hiss, the surge, the recoil, unchanged.
But Kuma felt it in his core, the draw on his chakra was dramatically lighter. It no longer tugged at the walls of his reserves. Instead, it was like… exhaling. Barely an inconvenience.
He looked at his hand, fingers flexing thoughtfully, "Again."
He went back to the system and dragged the Chakra Consumption slider all the way down to its minimum.
[Chakra Cost: 1 (Minimum)
Editor Points Required: 19
Confirm Edit?]
He didn't even blink.
[Edit Complete. New Chakra Cost: 1
Editor Points Remaining: 2,266]
Kuma inhaled deeply and made the hand signs again.
"Water Release: Slashing Wave!"
The Slashing Wave exploded forward again same size, the same form, the same slicing water arc but this time, he staggered back—not from exhaustion, but from shock.
He barely felt it, he ran a chakra diagnostic through his core, Normally, this jutsu cost him nearly one-twelfth of his chakra pool. And now, it was like using chakra to stick to a tree.
He looked down at his hands. Then back at the scarred earth, then he laughed, at first, it was soft, disbelieving.
Then it grew louder and unhinged, borderline villainous, he clutched his sides, laughing so hard it echoed through the trees like a madman.
"I can cast this… hundreds of times," it hit him like a tidal wave, B-Rank Ninjutsu that usually exhausted chunin-level fighters, he could now spam like shuriken. He could maintain pressure in battle with zero cost. Force attrition fights and bury enemies in raw elemental spam until they break.
He wiped a tear from his eye, breath hitching from laughter, "This… this is evil."
He calmed down slowly, exhaling through a grin, The implications weren't just powerful, they were game-breaking. He could scale any jutsu to its most efficient form, master wide-area elemental warfare, and outlast ANBU-level opponents just by sheer endurance. And it all started here, with a single water technique.
And he had dozens of techniques waiting, and 2,266 Editor Points left.
He turned to the trees again, already weighing which jutsu to optimize next, and this is only the beginning.
Kuma stood at the edge of the pond, breath fogging the air from his last cast of Slashing Wave. He was still riding the high from earlier, his body pulsing with adrenaline and the kind of giddy madness only true power could give.
The system screen hovered again before his eyes like a phantom.
____
[Water Release: Slashing Wave]
Chakra Cost: 1
Size: 2 meters
Sharpness: High
Pressure: 100 PSI
Range: 25 meters
___
Attributes Available for Editing:
Size
Sharpness
Chakra Consumption (Maxed)
Range
Cast Speed
Temperature
____
Kuma's gaze locked onto the new attribute, Temperature, and a slow, evil smile crept across his face.
"Let's see what you're hiding…"
He tapped into the attribute mentally, and another sliding bar appeared, starting from a baseline of 15°C (59°F) and going up steadily. It felt... unrestricted.
He hovered over it, watching the scale tick up.
20°C.
30°C.
50°C.
80°C.
90°C…
He stopped, sweat breaking on his brow not from effort, but anticipation, then with a glint in his eye, he slid the bar to 100°C (212°F)—and that's when the system flashed red.
___
[WARNING]
The host is about to exceed the boiling point of water.
At temperatures beyond 100°C, Water Release: Slashing Wave will convert into a Steam-based Ninjutsu, losing cutting power and stability. Steam versions may become unpredictable without further Editor stabilization.
___
Kuma blinked, absorbing the warning, "Steam, huh?" he mused aloud, "So... elemental shift risk."
He hovered just below the threshold and grinned, "Fine. Let's ride the edge."
[Edit Confirmed: Water Temperature Increased to 100°C
Editor Points Used: 10
Remaining: 2,256]
He stepped back, inhaling slowly through his nose, hands moved through the signs, muscle memory smooth and confident.
"Water Release: Slashing Wave!"
The moment he began forming the water in his mouth, he felt it heat. Thick and heavy, pressing against the inside of his cheeks and throat like steam in a tea kettle.
But he wasn't burning, somehow, his chakra protected him, insulated the inside of his mouth and throat like a buffer seal. Maybe the system accounted for it. Maybe his bloodline did. He didn't care.
He spat, the wave burst forward, slicing through the night like a blade forged from a furnace, The moment it left his mouth, the entire clearing changed.
Air temperature spiked, a wall of heat blasted outward, instantly fogging the cool night, the wave hissed and steamed, tearing forward in a dense sheet of boiling water.
When it hit the tree line, it didn't just slice but scalded, wood cracked, hissed, and sizzled, steam rising like smoke from a battlefield. The sizzling was deafening like hot oil on meat, the bark warped and peeled, steam blistering its surface before the water sliced deep through the wood, cleaving three trees at once.
Kuma shielded his eyes from the fog, When it cleared, only splintered trunks remained, blackened by heat and soaked in scalding runoff. The forest floor smoked, and he stood there, motionless.
Then, slowly, he laughed again, staring at his hand, watching the steam curl around his fingers like a living thing.
And then, in the distance, so subtle it would've gone unnoticed by anyone else, a twig snapped.
Kuma didn't flinch, he just tilted his head slightly, not from paranoia, he was alone, but only in appearance. He knew how the Hokage worked. How Danzo operated. There was always someone watching.
But he didn't move, didn't reveal he'd noticed, instead, he simply looked back toward the smoking trees and grinned, fingers flexing in the humid air. The steam from his last attack still lingered, curling around his feet like a summoned specter.
___
[Editor System -Active]
Current Editor Points: 2,256
Editing: Water Release: Slashing Wave (B-Rank)
Editable Attributes Remaining: 4/5
Chakra Cost: 1 (Locked)
Temperature: 100°C (Locked)
____
Editable Attributes:
Size
Range
Travel Speed
Sharpness
Density
____
The chakra cost was minimal, the temperature had weaponized, Kuma's eyes narrowed in thought.
The chakra cost was minimal. The temperature had weaponized the water, now it was time to scale. This jutsu wasn't just a cut-and-dash anymore, it was about to become a battlefield-clearing weapon.
He selected Size and dragged the bar up to 2 meters.
5 meters.
10 meters.
15 meters.
20 meters.
27 meters.
[Editor Points Required: 82
Confirm Edit?]
He didn't hesitate.
[Edit Complete. Wave Size: 27 meters
Editor Points Remaining: 2,174]
He exhaled slowly, "Now we're getting somewhere."
He moved next to Range-the distance the wave could travel, The current was 25 meters solid, but he wanted more.
He slid the bar:
30 meters.
35.
40.
50.
[Editor Points Required: 82
Confirm Edit?]
Click.
[Edit Complete. Range: 50 meters
Editor Points Remaining: 2,092]
A creeping grin tugged at his lips. This was no longer a simple B-Rank Ninjutsu, now it was a large-scale S-Rank Ninjutsu.
"Speed," he whispered, tapping into Travel Speed, it currently clocked in at 5 meters per second, not bad, but predictable.
He slid it up.
6... 8... 10... 12 meters per second.
[Editor Points Required: 22
Confirm Edit?]
[Edit Complete. Travel Speed: 12 m/s
Editor Points Remaining: 2,070]
Then the system flickered.
___
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Warning: Max Edit Threshold Approaching 5 Attribute Modifications Per Jutsu Only, further edits to this jutsu will be locked unless attributes are reset.
Additional Warning: Travel Speed did not increase effectively due to expanded Range, Travel speed must not exceed the total travel distance per second. Increasing the Range beyond 50m without a speed increase causes a delay in delivery.
Note: Physics laws within jutsu behavior still apply.
___
Kuma blinked, "Huh."
He read the notice twice, then chuckled, "So... I made it bigger, made it travel further-but not fast enough. It's like firing a cannonball across the field but expecting it to hit instantly. Makes sense."
He reopened Travel Speed, re-editing the attribute, this time pushing hard.
20 m/s.
30.
40... 50 meters per second.
[Editor Points Required: 124
Confirm Edit?]
He grinned.
Confirm Edit?
[Edit Complete. Travel Speed: 50 m/s
Editor Points Remaining: 1,946]
Attribute Limit Reached, edits Locked for This Jutsu, he let the interface fade and then... he turned.
His eyes cut through the mist like a blade, 'I know you're there."
The air snapped, tension rolled across the trees like a ripple before a storm.
Hidden in the foliage, perched high above on the branches of a silent pine, was a masked ANBU operative, marked by the Third Hokage himself to observe Kuma's midnight actions.
And flanking the far side of the clearing-barely visible, cloaked in silent Root-issue suppression gear-were two elite Chūnin from Danzo's personal division.
The Jonin ANBU felt it first, a chill that had nothing to do with the night air, every cell in his body screamed danger.
Kuma's hand signs blurred, "Water Release: Slashing Wave!"
The training ground exploded, the jutsu surged from Kuma's mouth like a tsunami summoned from hell, the training ground exploded.
Twenty-seven meters wide.
Boiling at 100°C.
Moving at fifty meters per second.
A wall of scalding death.
The moment it left his lips, the air pressure dropped. Steam shot out like a detonated seal trap, fogging the trees and blinding the night.
The ANBU Jonin's eyes widened behind his mask, he didn't even wait to see the jutsu fully form his instincts screamed at him to move.
He vanished in a blur, chakra bursting beneath his feet but the two Root Elite Chunin weren't as lucky, One had tried to leap into the trees-too slow, the wave hit him first.
The scalding water split his body like paper, carving straight through his midsection. The sound was wet and final, he didn't even scream.
The second tried to cast a Water Clone, using it as a shield was a mistake, the clone evaporated on impact, and the boiling water enveloped him before he could even react.
A sizzling, bone-deep hiss filled the clearing, like someone had just dumped a forest into a frying pan.
Steam blanketed the battlefield, branches snapped, the pond overflowed, and the area where the observers had hidden was now soaked, blackened, and covered in steaming water runoff.
From the trees, the ANBU Jonin landed hard fifty meters away, rolling across the grass, his left arm was covered in burns, red, raw, third-degree while his breath was ragged.
"He knew,"' the Jonin thought, heart pounding, "He knew we were watching."
But what terrified him more than the burns was the realization that this level of devastation had been performed silently.
There had been no hesitation. No flourish, just an adjustment and execution.
The Jonin pulled a summoning scroll from his belt with a shaking hand, sealing his own blood into the parchment.
A raven appeared moments later, silently awaiting instruction, The message was scrawled quickly.
>URGENT -CODE RED
Clan Head Kuma Senju has weaponized a B-Rank jutsu beyond tactical norms.
Root agents eliminated. I've sustained third-degree burns from residual exposure.
Jutsu characteristics: Wide-area, scalding, high-velocity Water Release with elemental enhancement.
Recommend: Immediate restriction of direct surveillance. Clan retaliation risk, HIGH.
Awaiting further orders.
-ANBU Agent "Kuro"
The raven vanished.
And somewhere far beyond the trees, the heat had already begun to fade, Back in the clearing, Kuma stood alone.
He surveyed the damage, and smoke curled upward from cracked bark and shallow craters. Steam clung to every leaf, and the faint scent of cooked blood lingered in the mist.
He didn't feel satisfaction, not fully, what he felt... was clarity.
The Editor System wasn't a toy, It wasn't just a power boost or a convenient chakra-saving hack, it was a tool that could be used to help him survive this hellish world.
Kuma turned without a word, and he just walked back toward the compound.
By the time anyone found the site, the fog would've swallowed the truth. ANBU wouldn't
speak of it. Root would already be erasing their files.
Morning came gently to the Hokage Tower, but there was no peace in its walls.
The windows glowed with a soft golden hue, and the village below bustled with the usual rhythm of early-day activity but Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, did not smile at the rising sun.
He sat at his desk, a pipe cooling beside a half-filled cup of tea, eyes scanning the contents of a freshly delivered ANBU report.
His fingers stopped on one line "Boiling Release Justu– high-speed delivery, wide-range, classified event."
He sighed, before the thoughts could form fully in his mind, the door burst open.
"Hiruzen."
The voice carried no formality, no respect, just sharp-edged frustration honed into a demand.
Danzo Shimura stormed into the office, robes whipping behind him like a shadow in motion. His bandaged face twisted in visible irritation, and for a moment, the ever-calm Third Hokage felt the slightest throb behind his eyes.
"I assume you've read it," Danzo snapped, tossing a second scroll onto the desk, "Two Root operatives dead. An ANBU was burned and lucky to be breathing. We have to act."
Hiruzen didn't look up. "No,' Danzo's good eye twitched. "No?"
"You heard me," Hiruzen said, voice calm but firm, "We were in the wrong."
Danzo stepped forward, slamming a hand onto the desk. "They were observing a potential threat, one who's modified a B-Rank Ninjutsu into something equivalent to A-rank or S-rank Justu."
"They were spying on the Clan Head of the Senju," Hiruzen corrected. "And worse on Senju Clan territory."
Danzo's frown deepened.
"It's policy," Hiruzen continued, "No internal operations are to be carried out within Clan lands without express permission. That includes ANBU. That includes Root."
He looked up now, eyes hard, "You know the rules, Danzo. And so do the other clans. If word of this leaks, the Hyuga and Uchiha will be the first to demand hearings. Then the Ino-Shika-Cho, the Aburame, the Kurama. You'll light the village on fire for two dead shinobi."
Danzo gritted his teeth, "They were mine. Elite Chunin, handpicked. We don't have replacements."
"Then don't get them killed by violating protocol," Hiruzen said simply, Danzo's silence was like an approaching storm, Cold and Tense.
But the Hokage wasn't finished, "I have a plan," Hiruzen said, leaning back in his chair, "Kuma Senju isn't unmovable."
"Does it involve actually punishing him?" Danzo snapped, "No," Hiruzen said, "It involves replacing him."
Danzo paused.
Hiruzen steepled his fingers. "The Senju still have loyalists, some of them within the ANBU. They didn't all follow Kuma's withdrawal order. Many remain loyal to me, because of old ties and because I kept the clan's traditions alive after Tobirama's death."
Danzo said nothing, but the silence gave permission for the Hokage to go on, "Shigusa Senju," the name fell like a blade between them.
Danzo's brow lifted slightly, "She's elite," Hiruzen said, "A veteran. Respected. Strong. Unlike Kuma, her strength isn't theoretical or reliant on tricks. She's Earth-Release proficient, strong enough to counter Water Release directly. And..." he smiled faintly "she still believes in the idea of a Hokage-led clan structure."
Danzo scowled, "You want to pit her against him."
"I want to stage it," Hiruzen corrected, "She and the other Senju ANBU will arrive at the compound under the pretense of returning to the clan. During the 'reunion', she will challenge Kuma publiclyinvoking the Senju clan's old dueling rights for leadership."
He leaned forward, eyes gleaming beneath the shadows of his hat, "If Kuma refuses, he loses legitimacy. If he accepts and loses, she takes the mantle and we regain control of the clan."
"And if he wins?" Danzo asked flatly, "He won't," Hiruzen said. "He's clever, yes, but his chakra profile still reads Jonin-level, no Kekkei Genkai and no battlefield experience comparable to hers."
Danzo was silent for a moment… then his gaze narrowed, "Are you sure there's no Kekkei Genkai?"
Hiruzen frowned, "What are you getting at?"
Danzo stepped toward the window, staring down at the rooftops of the village below, "Reports say the jutsu wasn't just high-pressure, it was boiling. That kind of elemental variance requires either external manipulation… or a hybrid chakra nature."
"Boil Release?" Hiruzen asked skeptically.
"Possibly," Danzo muttered, "Or something like it. The kind of manipulation that shouldn't be possible for a Jonin, unless he's hiding his bloodline."
The Hokage exhaled, then dismissed it with a wave, "Even if he has a latent release ability, Shigusa can handle it. Earth trumps Water. And Boil, if it exists, is unstable. Shigusa won't let it get to that point."
Danzo didn't respond, Hiruzen stood, gathering the scrolls into a neat pile, "You lost agents. I'll authorize increased recruitment. But Kuma stays untouched until the challenge is issued. After that... the clan will decide."
Danzo's expression was unreadable but his silence was more dangerous than words.
The door to the Hokage's office opened more softly this time, Shigusa Senju stepped inside with the controlled stride of a trained predator. Elegant, disciplined, and undeniably powerful. Her long ash-brown hair was bound in a high braid, a crimson Senju sash tied across her flak vest. Her face was calm, but her eyes flicked toward Hiruzen with cold calculation.
"Hokage-sama," she said, bowing, Hiruzen gestured for her to sit, his expression lined with warmth that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"You've read the reports about Kuma."
"I have," Shigusa said, "And I have concerns."
Hiruzen smiled faintly. "As you should."
He walked to the window behind his desk, folding his hands behind his back, and the light from the morning sun spilled in like a divine halo. When he spoke, his tone had shifted, softer, fatherly, the voice that had once made an entire generation believe in peace.
"The Senju have always stood at the heart of this village, Shigusa. Hashirama gave everything to create a world where we didn't need to drown in blood. Tobirama gave up our clan's dominance to empower the village. And now…"
He turned slowly.
"Now, your clan is being isolated by a young man with ambition and no vision."
Shigusa's jaw tightened, "He means well," she said, but even as the words came, they lacked strength.
"Intent is not enough," Hiruzen said gently, "He has made enemies of the Elders. Of ANBU. Of me. He's pulling your clan into conflict with the very foundation that protects them."
"He's just trying to protect our people..."
"By placing them at odds with Konoha?" Hiruzen's voice rose subtly, just enough "By weakening ANBU ranks in wartime? By killing shinobi sent to observe clan affairs without so much as a discussion?"
Shigusa didn't respond.
"You've been loyal to the Will of Fire, Shigusa," Hiruzen said, "You understand better than most that sacrifice is in our blood. We don't isolate ourselves, we protect others. Even when it hurts."
Her breath hitched slightly, "We are the shield," Hiruzen continued, "Not a sword to be drawn against our allies."
The silence hung heavy, then Hiruzen gave her the final push.
"You're strong. Respected. You still command the trust of the Senju in ANBU. If the clan must have a leader, it should be someone who remembers what Hashirama stood for, not someone clinging to pride and secrecy."
Shigusa looked down at her hands.
"…You want me to challenge him."
"I want you to save your clan."
A long pause, then she stood, "When?"
"Soon," Hiruzen said, voice low, "Danzo has already begun preparing the village for it. Spreading doubts about Kuma's strength. Whispers of rebellion. Of instability. He won't be able to refuse you without losing face."
Shigusa nodded once, "Then I'll make him see reason."
And with that, she vanished from the office in a gust of chakra-laced wind.
Hours later…
Beneath the roots of Konoha, in the shaded halls where whispers walked and light dared not dwell, Danzo Shimura watched from behind a curtain of stone.
Two Root agents knelt before him.
"Distribute the message," he said, "Quietly. Tavern keepers, low-ranking chunin, and merchant families near the Senju district. Just enough for it to spread naturally."
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
"And be subtle, make it sound like concern, not accusation. The last thing we need is suspicion of propaganda. The villagers must believe they came to this conclusion on their own."
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
As the operatives vanished, Danzo allowed himself the faintest curl of a smirk.
"The game begins."
Meanwhile, at the edge of the Senju Compound, Shigusa moved with purpose, gathering a small cadre of Senju ANBU and Root born loyalists. Some were hesitant. Some wary but her words struck like flint on dry kindling.
"Kuma is risking everything," she said, voice sharp, "He's isolating us. He's weakening our position. He's making enemies of people who've protected us for decades."
"But, he's the clan head," one muttered.
"For now," Shigusa replied, "But he refuses to act like one, The Senju were never meant to hide behind walls, we lead, we protect, we serve."
By the time the sun began to fall, whispers of challenge had reached the outer gates of the compound, and the pressure was mounting.
And Kuma, he had no idea a storm was forming within his Clan's Compound.