Naruto: I Draw Power Into Reality

When they returned, they found Shiso and Sakumo had already come back.

Both were gravely wounded, especially Shiso, who was practically carried back on Danzo's Shadow Clone's back.

The Shadow Clone bowed slightly upon seeing its original before vanishing. Instantly, Danzo understood what had transpired at the other location.

These enemy ninja were also rogue Mist ninja, but their fighting style didn't align with Hidden Mist Village's techniques—clearly indicating someone else was taking advantage of the chaos.

"You guys encountered enemies too?"

Akaba could tell at a glance from their appearance. If even he had met several waves of enemies along the way, it was only natural for them to have faced similar challenges.

"Four or five Chunin."

Sakumo gasped between breaths.

Akaba wasn't surprised. He himself had been targeted by an elite Jonin who led the attack. Without Danzo's help, he might not have made it out alive.

That was the true power of a Jonin!

In contrast, having merely run into Chunin-level ninja was actually their good fortune.

"Treat the wounds first."

Danzo handed over two vials of medicine to them.

Akaba took a close look—it was exactly what Shiso needed for his injuries.

As for Sakumo, his injuries were only superficial; he'd be fine after a few days' rest.

"We must head back immediately."

Danzo's expression turned serious. "A Jonin-level rogue Mist ninja has appeared in the Land of Whirlpools. We must report this immediately."

He was only the head of Anbu, and a matter of this magnitude could never be decided by him alone.

"In that case, we can go home."

Akaba said cheerfully.

Staying with someone like Danzo gave him absolutely no sense of safety. Heading back home was the best thing that could've happened.

"I'll depart immediately to find the caravan leader while leaving one Shadow Clone here to accompany you slowly."

Danzo explained.

Extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures.

If the Land of Fire had only issued orders to suppress so-called "brigands" along the borders, he could afford to ignore—or even comply with—those orders. But now, since it involved Uzumaki Village and Konoha Village, the feudal lord had no say in the matter.

To intervene, Konoha needed to act as soon as possible without any delay.

As soon as he finished speaking, he performed the Shadow Clone technique, and his original body quickly disappeared.

"Let's take a short rest before heading to Konoha."

Akaba sat down on a mountain rock, then added, "This time I'm not just being lazy—both of you need time to recover."

"Mm-hmm."

Hatake Sakumo nodded and sat down.

Shiso's injuries were far too severe. Any strenuous movement right now would result in hidden wounds detrimental to his future development.

Although Danzo's clone hadn't reappeared yet, Akaba could feel he really was guarding nearby.

"Kazuya and you guys also ran into ninja?"

After a long pause, Sakumo finally broke the silence in a hushed tone.

Nodding slowly, Akaba already guessed what Sakumo wanted to ask. Internally, he hesitated over how much to disclose.

"So does that mean Sensei stepped in personally then?"

Sakumo grew increasingly curious.

They had fought so badly on his side, yet Akaba returned without a scratch. That felt strange indeed.

"We did meet a few Chunin, whom I killed using Genjutsu, but eventually a Jonin appeared—I nearly died."

Akaba remained silent briefly before replying almost truthfully.

Indeed, that Jonin did attack—but he had also escaped using the Substitution Jutsu.

Faced with so many exploding tags, Akaba wasn't likely to be killed, but without Danzo's major breakthrough, he would still suffer serious injuries from the intense explosion.

Such an outcome wouldn't leave him any better off than Shiso.

Yet this alone was enough to shock both Sakumo and Shiso.

Several chunin had been killed by genjutsu.

This alone proved that Danzo hadn't acted before the jonin showed up.

Sakumo Hatake tightened his grip on his sword hilt, eyes revealing slight frustration. Although it was due to the Kekkei Genkai of Five Senses Manipulation, the Sakuma clan's strength in controlling perception came at the cost of lacking physical combat prowess.

Therefore, for these two individuals, such an outcome felt quite disappointing.

"Are jonin really that strong?"

Sakumo clenched his fist, then let go.

The weaker you are, the more important it becomes to understand just how powerful the enemy truly is. He didn't envy Akaba at all—he simply loathed his own weakness deeply.

"The jonin from Mist exuded heavy killing intent. Even from hundreds of meters away, just one glance from him made my entire body shiver."

Akaba spoke with rare seriousness. "Frankly speaking, with our current strength, we'd only have about a ten percent chance of defeating a jonin."

"A ten percent chance—is that your Kekkei Genkai?"

Shiso asked.

Everyone knew the Sakuma clan's bloodline limit could turn illusions into reality. In their eyes, that ten percent probably belonged solely to Akaba.

Yet Akaba shook his head.

"Jonin are too strong—they could kill me within seconds. So I only get one chance. But I believe genjutsu won't be enough to defeat a jonin. To take him down, we'll need perfect coordination among all three of us."

[Five Senses Manipulation] wasn't an invincible jutsu. Otherwise, if the Sakuma clan could secretly pull people into their illusions, they'd be able to kill silently at will. Then why wage war at all? Just go straight for the Kages.

Based on this real combat estimation, Akaba guessed his current upper limit was merely inflicting some damage on a jonin. Killing one remained wishful thinking.

That didn't even consider potential backlash from a jonin's mental defenses.

"My swordsmanship?"

Sakumo, highly intelligent in battle, quickly formed a scenario in his mind and reached a conclusion.

Their only opportunity lay in multiple distractions creating an opening for Sakumo to land a decisive blow.

Even the strongest jonin couldn't resist a blade.

"Yes. Therefore, you two shouldn't feel inferior. Everyone has their own strengths and advantages."

Akaba nodded.

He didn't hide his strengths because doing so would make Sakumo and Shiso think he was concealing something. Instead, being honest like this actually brought more comfort.

"At least in this fight, without Shiso's protection, I might already be dead."

Sakumo sighed emotionally.

"Thank you both."

Shiso said gratefully.

He knew full well that Akaba and Sakumo were both stronger than him.

Shiso had never been the standout one, not since childhood. He had gotten used to that, telling himself that as long as he handled everything well and did his best, it would be sufficient.

But when it came down to real comparisons, he still couldn't help but feel discouraged.

Akaba could instantly kill multiple chunin, while Sakumo could precisely cut down chunin using sword techniques and movement skills, yet all Shiso could do was provide distraction and withstand attacks.

The gap was too big—so wide that it left Shiso disheartened.

"I've been used to it since childhood. But you're right — I do have my own strengths. At least having the Fire attribute gives me an edge."

Shiso let out a soft chuckle, but it quickly turned into a grimace when he jostled his wound, sending another stab of pain through him.

Fire Release chakra possessed tremendous offensive power, giving Shiso at least some advantage in combat and preventing him from being completely mediocre.

Otherwise, he'd really have to think about switching tactics or going all-in on a single skill.

Akaba noticed his mood lifting and changed the subject. "It's a shame you don't get along with the Uchiha. Otherwise, if you mastered their most guarded techniques, your strength would jump significantly."

Konoha's Fire Release was universally recognized as dominated by the Uchiha clan, making them its strongest practitioners. Even Shiso's Hōsenka no Jutsu [Fengxianhuo no Jutsu] (Crimson Peach Blossom Technique) was a Ninjutsu originally passed down by the Uchiha family.

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