Naruto: Drop System

"Wiping out a few thousand people on the first day—not bad, not bad…"

After the Six Paths of Pain departed, Yagyu did not head to Amegakure. Instead, he retraced his steps, teleporting back toward the camp.

Meanwhile, Yagyu was issuing commands to a Wood Clone that had melded with earth and vegetation using the Mayfly Technique. Soon, a torrent of information emerged in his mind.

Processing these details that had seemingly appeared out of thin air, Yagyu revealed a satisfied expression.

Although the first battle was just a "probe," it was also a crucial intelligence operation.

If one side didn't understand its opponent's intel, devastating losses were inevitable.

The overconfident Kumogakure proved the perfect example.

They championed nin-taijutsu, so nearly every fighter—man or woman—in that martial culture mastered taijutsu and swordsmanship. Some even stimulated their cells with Lightning Release Chakra. In terms of overall power, Kumo ranked at the top among the Five Great Nations. Yet within hours of launching hostilities, over one-fifth of their 10,000-plus ninja perished.

Had the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee not arrived in time—and had they not used nin-taijutsu's high-speed mobility to retreat quickly—the death toll would have been even higher.

On day one, breaking Kumogakure's arm and curing its arrogance naturally put Yagyu in a great mood.

While the Edo Tensei elite forces also lost some strong individuals, trading them for two thousand Kumo casualties, plus finishing off the last survivors of the four major clans—and chipping away further at Sunagakure (which was on par with Kirigakure in vying for last place)—Yagyu found it all worthwhile.

Achieving such results from the first day, Yagyu believed that by war's end, he'd thin out the four Great Nations considerably. By then, when he ascended as the Sixth Hokage—even if he didn't unify the ninja world—it would still be run at his say-so.

Composing himself, Yagyu used Flying Thunder God to appear beside Tsunade.

"Yagyu, you're just in time."

Seeing him arrive, Tsunade—currently holding a meeting in a large tent with her top advisors—brightened. She immediately asked:

"Yagyu, you once captured a clone of that Akatsuki member code-named 'Xuanwu.' Can you use your Wood Clones to root them all out?"

Yagyu knew precisely what she meant but pretended ignorance, closing his eyes and raising his middle and index fingers. A moment later, he opened them, feigning confusion:

"Lady Hokage, what do you mean? There are no White Zetsu clones around us."

"I'm not talking about their Mayfly technique. Those white creatures have another ability…"

Tsunade explained how the White Zetsu clones had disguised themselves as allies, sowing chaos in their ranks.

Hearing this, Yagyu—an accomplished "Best Actor"—adopted a grave look:

"Besides that Mayfly infiltration, they actually possess a transformation jutsu like that?"

Then he turned to Tsunade:

"Did you bring back any of those identical impostors?"

"Yes, we did."

Tsunade nodded:

"Yakumo used her genjutsu to lock down their consciousness, while Karin and Hinata stripped away their bodily control with sealing jutsu. Ino and Inoichi are mind-reading them one by one to sort them out."

"Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!"

Forming a single-handed seal, Yagyu extended a tree branch from his body, quickly molding it into a Wood Clone. The next instant, the clone vanished without warning.

Soon, Yagyu said:

"I found the cause. Their disguises are so flawless because they stay concealed underground using Mayfly, then pop out in the chaos to absorb the target's chakra. That's how their transformation is perfect—even the chakra signature is identical."

"Is there any way to deal with it?" Tsunade asked expectantly.

Every top official, silent until then, also turned their eyes on Yagyu.

Yagyu shook his head:

"No. I can discover them because their infiltration technique fuses with earth and vegetation, and my Wood Release is similar enough to detect that. But a shapeshifting jutsu that mimics even chakra signatures—beyond Byakugan or Kagura's Mind Eye—I have no solution."

He wasn't lying. The Mayfly and disguise jutsu were support-class techniques at a strategic level, on par with Flying Thunder God and Edo Tensei. If they weren't so overwhelmingly powerful, Yagyu wouldn't covet them thusly.

With Mayfly, as Yagyu said, his Wood Release had "some synergy," but he himself had also mastered Mayfly, giving him a unique perceptual view. But for the White Zetsu's "disguise jutsu," unless he gained "good-evil sensing," even he couldn't discern them. Neither Byakugan, Sharingan, nor Kagura's Mind Eye had any effect.

Seeing Yagyu shake his head, Tsunade frowned heavily:

"Not even you can tell? That's trouble. Those creatures are individually weak, so if they faced us head-on—even outnumbering us severalfold—we'd still crush them. But they aren't afraid to die, can pass through any obstacles via infiltration, plus Hiruko's Edo Tensei is backing them. We can't stop them from draining our chakra. The moment they siphon someone's chakra, they'll mimic them from the inside out, scattering our formations."

"And they won't remain in the Land of Rain alone. They might sneak over any time to infiltrate. Without a method to get past them, we'll have to fight a war of attrition until we exterminate them all, stalling our advance on Amegakure. By then, the Akatsuki might have finished sealing every Tailed Beast. Then we'd face not only these white creatures and Edo Tensei but also the Akatsuki's leader with the Rinnegan."

At her words, the clan heads—led by Hyūga Hiashi—furrowed their brows, hearts stifled by frustration. Indeed, the White Zetsu themselves were trivial in one-on-one fights; a mere genin might kill one. But their utter fearlessness, ability to slip through obstacles, even beyond the Byakugan's detection, were truly disgusting. Far worse, they could absorb an opponent's chakra, turning themselves from the inside out into that person.

Fearing friendly fire, any slight misstep might end in death at an impostor's hand—a far more uncomfortable demise than being slain in fair battle. Though Konoha's losses were meager, that unstoppable infiltration blocked a swift march on Amegakure. Without a solution for that obstacle, they couldn't advance even a fraction—and might not sleep well at night. Who knew if those white creatures would emerge from the ground in the dead of night?

Sensing their concerns, Yagyu spoke calmly:

"Don't worry. There's always a Wood Clone in the village, so those white creatures can't slip in. I'll dispatch more clones to watch this camp in shifts. If any approach, I'll know."

"Much appreciated, Lord Yagyu."

The clan heads and department chiefs, even those not close to him, breathed relief and thanked him respectfully.

Just then, a green-vested ninja entered the tent, kneeling on one knee:

"Lady Hokage, an emissary from Kumogakure requests an audience."

"Seems they're encountering the same trouble we are,"

Tsunade said instantly, guessing the envoy's reason.

"Oh!"

Yagyu faked an eureka moment, exclaiming:

"I've thought of a solution!"

"What is it? Tell us quick," Tsunade pressed eagerly.

Every official looked at Yagyu with anticipation.

He explained slowly:

"From what I recall, Lady Hokage, your grandmother was Lord Hashirama's wife, Lady Mito—she possessed the ability to sense good and evil. Not from the Uzumaki's Kagura's Mind Eye, but the power of the strongest Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. People's benevolent and malevolent thoughts are uncontrollable emotions. Regardless of how well they mimic, these White Zetsu can't hide their persistent intent to kill us. If Naruto became a perfect Jinchūriki, he could inherit that sense of good and evil, and spot an impostor at a glance."

"That's right… Grandma Mito did have that gift," Tsunade said, brightening. But she soon frowned again. "But we're at war. Who knows how long it'd take Naruto to become a perfect Jinchūriki?"

"That's because we lack a method to shape a perfect Jinchūriki," Yagyu replied cryptically with a grin. "But here's our chance. If I recall, both the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchūriki from Kumo are already perfect, right?"

Tsunade's eyes lit up, then she glanced at the kneeling ninja:

"Invite Kumogakure's emissary in."

She finished speaking, only to discover Yagyu by her side had abruptly vanished.

"Sasuke, come over here."

Leaving the tent, Yagyu appeared beside Kurama Yakumo. Then, spotting Naruto and Sasuke—who stood by Ino, helping her discern friend from foe—he beckoned with a wave. Hearing Yagyu's voice, Sasuke, arms folded, strode over coolly. Naruto, bored, followed out of curiosity.

"How's your eyesight these days?"

Yagyu asked Sasuke, who had arrived wordlessly.

"Not too bad—no serious issue," Sasuke answered bluntly.

Unlike the extreme, bitter Sasuke in the original story, the one here had only suffered major eyestrain using the Mangekyō while exterminating the four major clans. After witnessing Hiruzen's soul vanish, Sasuke—who had harbored hatred from age seven to sixteen—finally let it go.

Freed from that obsession, Sasuke had begun a transformation akin to his "Boruto-era" self, gaining a hint of Itachi's calm. Like a martial artist with no thirst for "world's strongest," Sasuke now stabilized his basics, honing kenjutsu and nature transformations. Things like Mangekyō jutsu, ultimate techniques, combination ninjutsu—he seldom cared for them. So his eyesight had only slightly worsened. At this rate, unless he faced an unwinnable enemy, he might last years—like Itachi—before suffering severe blindness.

But Naruto would soon get a monstrous power-up, and Yagyu didn't want his future ultimate subordinate lagging behind. Thus, Yagyu smiled:

"Be ready. I'll operate on you tomorrow."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. He naturally knew Yagyu meant transplanting Itachi's Mangekyō to grant him Eternal Mangekyō.

"Alright."

Unlike in canon, where Sasuke hesitated or temporarily refused, here he merely nodded after initial shock, brimming with anticipation. Witnessing Uchiha Hikari's Perfect Susanoo and unlocking an advanced Susanoo himself made him yearn for that power. He knew how godlike Susanoo was, surpassing any specialized Mangekyō technique. Without fully mastering the Mangekyō, one couldn't form a Perfect Susanoo. Even if partially formed, you could only use it one or two times before near-blindness. Unless one had a hack-like ocular power, or Hashirama's cells, the only path was to gain Eternal Mangekyō. Finally, that day was coming.

Naruto, oblivious, failed to grasp this cryptic talk only Yagyu and Sasuke understood:

"Sasuke, you're hurt?!"

he asked anxiously.

"No, Sasuke's about to evolve,"

Yagyu cut in before Sasuke could respond:

"Naruto, get ready yourself. Your power will evolve soon, too."

Hearing that, Naruto cocked his head with a puzzled look. Sasuke also showed mild surprise, glancing at Naruto. Recalling the Nine-Tails sealed in him—and no longer ignorant—Sasuke suddenly felt a surge of resolve. For reasons unknown, he didn't want to lose to Naruto. It wasn't just because the latter was once a dunce or a comrade; from childhood, the two had always somehow "not gotten along." But there was no real hatred between them—just competitiveness, and a desire for the other's acknowledgement. In truth, Sasuke wanted Naruto to concede, to admit his victory… that was his obsession, second only to revenge, surpassing any urge to outdo Yagyu.

Thus continued their thousand-year destiny of unresolved rivalry.

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