Living in Konoha: Picking Up Abilities Starting from the Anbu

With Kazuya's encouragement, the intensity of the battle between the Third Hokage and Orochimaru increased by several notches.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

The ninjutsu clashed violently!

Chakra exploded with every strike!

Now that's more like it!

The fierce back-and-forth of high-level techniques sent waves of power through the battlefield. Each attack was more ferocious than the last, and the air was thick with tension and energy.

Kazuya watched closely, absorbing every bit of skill, talent, and experience he could. This battle wasn't just a showdown between master and former student—it was a gold mine of abilities waiting to be claimed.

The more intense the battle became, the more valuable the rewards Kazuya was collecting. Orochimaru, the Third Hokage—these were the key players in this life-and-death struggle, and Kazuya was determined to reap all the benefits.

This fight wasn't just about Orochimaru's crimes or the Hokage's judgment.

It was Kazuya's opportunity to grow stronger.

And he wasn't about to let it slip away.

Always thinking about throwing a fake match—what kind of nonsense is that?

Act like a real man and use some flashy ninjutsu to fight head-on!

But Orochimaru...

Can't you use any other ninjutsu?

It's just Hidden Shadow Snake Hands over and over again!

Come on, use something more respectable!

Kazuya felt his head beginning to throb.

"System, is there a way to filter out specific abilities from the golden drops? I want to filter out Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Kazuya asked, clearly annoyed.

[Would you like to filter out the ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands?]

"Yes, filter it!"

Kazuya replied without hesitation.

That creepy technique had no practical use for him at all.

[Filter successful]

The prompt quickly appeared.

"Phew..."

Kazuya finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Collecting attributes is truly powerful, but when you start picking up awkward skills—or worse, unsettling Kekkei Genkai—things can get pretty weird!

Take Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, for example!

And that cursed Iburi Clan smoke transformation Kekkei Genkai—Orochimaru's experimental bloodline!

Kazuya went ahead and filtered that out as well.

As an afterthought, he asked the system another question: It turns out that after collecting a skill, you can immediately discard any unwanted abilities or Kekkei Genkai. No issues there!

Good!

With this knowledge, Kazuya's last bit of unease vanished.

Ahead of him, another cluster of golden lights flew toward him.

[You have collected 200 Chakra Points]

[You have collected 200 Chakra Points]

[You have collected 50 Water Style Talent Points]

[You have collected 50 Earth Style Talent Points]

[You have collected the Ninjutsu: Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bombs]

[You have collected 1,000 Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bombs Skill Experience Points]

[Your Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bombs has leveled up: lv2 (0/1000)]

…

It is a battle between legendary ninjas and Kage-level opponents!

An A-rank ninjutsu!

3,000 Chakra Points!

And hundreds of Water and Earth Style talent points!

Incredible!

Kazuya was thrilled.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru's laboratory didn't have many combat-ready ninjas around, so there wasn't a massive explosion of golden lights.

"Could it be that..."

"Orochimaru already moved his followers elsewhere?"

Kazuya pondered.

As one of the Three Legendary Sannins, Orochimaru certainly had many loyal followers. Yet, they hadn't encountered anyone significant in this underground laboratory, which seemed odd.

It appeared that Orochimaru had anticipated the attack and preemptively moved his forces. Those remaining in the village were likely just expendable cannon fodder.

No wonder he later managed to quickly establish the Sound Village behind the scenes—Orochimaru was indeed skilled.

"You can never underestimate the world's heroes," Kazuya thought.

During the Chūnin Exams, Sasuke put on a show only to be beaten up by Rock Lee. Jiraiya infiltrated the Land of Rain solo but was ultimately killed by Pain.

Then, Uchiha Madara, in a grand show, got stabbed in the back by Black Zetsu and had his heart ripped out.

People need to stay humble!

Sometimes it's best to get rich quietly!

As Kazuya's thoughts wandered, back on the battlefield, Orochimaru was beginning to struggle.

The Third Hokage was simply too powerful. Even though he wasn't fighting at full strength, with the assistance of two elite ANBU members, Orochimaru was barely holding on.

"There's no choice now!"

A sinister expression crossed Orochimaru's face.

He tore open a scroll and began weaving signs. Chakra surged from him.

"What's this…"

The Third Hokage felt an ominous premonition.

Kazuya reacted even faster.

He flung several specially marked kunai toward Orochimaru, his body vanishing from sight in an instant.

HUMMMM!

BOOM!

The scroll exploded, unleashing two sharp, piercing sound waves right in front of everyone.

Spurt!

The Third Hokage, standing closest, spat out a mouthful of blood.

Even Enma, Elephant, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke couldn't withstand it—they were sent flying by the sonic blast, collapsing to the ground, their bodies unresponsive and their heads spinning.

"You truly couldn't bring yourself to kill me, could you, Sarutobi-sensei?"

Orochimaru sneered as he stood alone in the clearing. "This is a special gift I prepared just for you, a brand new soundwave ninjutsu. How's the power? Isn't it impressive?"

"You…"

The Third Hokage glared coldly at Orochimaru but said nothing more.

"What a pity..."

Orochimaru suddenly chuckled. "It seems one little insect managed to escape. How unfortunate..."

However!

Just as Orochimaru spoke,

WHOOSH!

A flash of white light suddenly appeared behind him.

SLASH!

A specially marked Flying Thunder God kunai tore through Orochimaru's back, leaving a deep gash.

"AAAHHH!"

Orochimaru was flung to the side, blood gushing from his back.

"Who—who are you?!"

Orochimaru turned in shock, his mind reeling.

There, in the clearing, stood a masked ANBU ninja wearing a white cloak, looking at him with a smirk.

It was him!

The one who had escaped!

But how had he appeared behind me?!

In that moment, the battle-hardened Orochimaru was completely baffled.

POOF! POOF! POOF!

Several smoke bombs exploded around him, filling the area with thick smoke.

Although still dazed, Orochimaru reacted quickly, tossing the bombs and disappearing into the fog.

I underestimated him!

Since when did the village have such a mysterious ANBU ninja? How could I not have known?!

"Kazuya… was that the Flying Thunder God Jutsu?!"

The Third Hokage was dumbfounded.

Kazuya... learned it?!

Unbelievable!

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, the Third Hokage would never have believed that someone could master the Flying Thunder God Jutsu in just half a month!

"Yes,"

Kazuya responded calmly, "Hokage-sama."

Kazuya gave a firm nod as he glanced at the fallen Shinnosuke Sarutobi and the unconscious ANBU captain, Elephant. Suddenly, he burst out in furious exclamation, "How dare Orochimaru harm the village's ninjas? I will not let him get away with this!"

"I'm going to capture him and bring him back to face the village's justice!"

Kazuya clenched his fist tightly, his body trembling with an air of righteous fury.

However, beneath his mask, his expression was calm—almost indifferent. He even cast a glance at the Third Hokage, feeling a bit of disdain.

Damn it!

Playing dirty with this fake battle!

He wasn't even hurt, just lying there pretending to be down. How much golden loot was wasted because of that lazy act!?

"Kazuya..."

The Third Hokage's gaze faltered. As he looked at the determined figure in front of him, Kazuya's presence increasingly overlapped with his memories of Minato.

Wisdom.

Justice.

Love for the village.

An innocent heart.

And of course, that iconic Flying Thunder God Technique!

Suddenly, the Third Hokage found clarity in his thoughts. Even if Orochimaru had fallen into darkness, so what? The village still had Kazuya, a true inheritor of the Will of Fire!

"Haa…"

The Third Hokage let out a long sigh, then said, "Kazuya, capture Orochimaru if you can, but remember—if the mission seems impossible, prioritize your safety above all."

"Yes,"

Kazuya nodded firmly before vanishing from the spot.

...