Naruto: Legend of the Skylark

Hiyoko had just been severely chastised by Tobirama and Hashirama and confined to a small room to dutifully read and learn. Hibari, naturally, was oblivious to this; he still believed his 'Self-Creation' shadow clone jutsu couldn't be seen through.

At this moment, Hibari was walking with little Tsunade through the forest in the back mountains of the village. What was referred to as the back mountains was actually a circular forest with a radius of ten kilometers.

It was said that Hashirama, after a night of drinking, excitedly created it with his Wood Release to add some 'vitality' to the village. Later, many wild animals gradually gathered in this huge forest. Whether this was true or false, no one had verified it, and Hibari was too lazy to ask about such trivial matters.

If Hibari remembered correctly, this place, currently called the 'back mountains,' would later be specifically designated as the site for the shinobi promotion exams, named the 'Forest of Death'!

However, by then, the entire Konohagakure would have developed to a very prosperous degree, and even these current 'back mountains' would have been 'swallowed' by the village.

Hibari cleanly cut down a branch blocking their path with a single swing of his katana, then sheathed his sword with a flourish. As he walked, he said to little Tsunade beside him, "Tsunade, this forest is so vast, we couldn't walk all of it in two days. How lucky could we get? To say we'll run into a big bear and actually run into one? If you ask me, let's just hunt a spotted deer or something to eat instead."

"No! We just got in, and Hibari-nii, you're already saying discouraging things! I want to eat a big bear!" Tsunade retorted, annoyed.

"Hahahaha, alright, then let's go deeper," Hibari said with a laugh.

However, before his words even fell, he heard what sounded like a bear's wild roar from a distance. His eyes immediately lit up. "What a coincidence! You, little brat, couldn't actually be the 'Child of Destiny,' could you? You say you want to hunt a bear, and you actually run into one..."

After speaking, Hibari scooped up little Tsunade, rapidly pushing off the ground. In a few flashes, he disappeared from their spot, heading in the direction of the roar.

Not long after, Hibari and little Tsunade hid behind a hillside. Both of them then surveyed the forest about three hundred meters away, where a seemingly ferocious brown bear was sniffing around for something.

"A big bear! There really is a big bear! Hibari-nii, let's eat this one!" Tsunade said excitedly.

Hibari chuckled. Although he had been dragged here by little Tsunade, if he could really eat some bear paw, he'd be quite happy.

He retracted his gaze and looked at little Tsunade, saying, "Good luck, it really is a bear. Are you going to fight it, or should I?"

Although little Tsunade wasn't an official shinobi yet, she had been taught some basic shinobi skills by Hashirama and Tobirama. After all, she was a child of the Senju clan; she couldn't be too weak when venturing out, could she?

With Hibari backing her up, it wouldn't be a problem if little Tsunade truly wanted to challenge this big bear. That's why Hibari asked.

Hearing this, the fearless little Tsunade immediately rubbed her fists together and said, "I'll do it! Hibari-nii, you've treated me to so many delicious things, this time I'll treat you!"

"Hahahaha, alright! Then I'll support you from the sidelines. Let me see how formidable our Tsunade-hime truly is!" Hibari said with a hearty laugh.

Tsunade stood up boldly and confidently, glanced at Hibari, then strode forward, intending to 'single-handedly' challenge the big bear.

However, before she could even take a step, Hibari sensed a massive chakra energy gathering in the distance. Startled, he immediately and swiftly pulled Tsunade back, holding her tightly in his arms, while also staring intently in the direction from which the chakra fluctuations emanated.

The next second, Hibari heard a familiar voice—it was Hiruzen Sarutobi's.

"S-rank Collaboration Ninjutsu: Annihilation!"

The moment he heard that voice, Hibari felt a sense of dread. He knew that Hiruzen didn't possess any S-rank collaboration ninjutsu. So, this so-called 'S-rank Collaboration Ninjutsu: Annihilation' was, more likely than not, the 'mini-hydrogen bomb jutsu' whose theory he had previously leaked to Hiruzen!

If Hiruzen had genuinely managed to create it, its power would undoubtedly be terrifying.

Thus, Hibari immediately prepared to call out to Hiruzen, who was somewhere out there, to let him know that he wasn't the only one in these mountains!

However, before the words could even leave his mouth, Hibari saw a stream of water appear above the distant brown bear's head, followed by a sudden burst of electricity out of nowhere...

"Damn it, he's really doing it!" Hibari cursed involuntarily, watching the scene unfold.

The next second, an imperceptible gust of wind pressure appeared there, followed by a spark...

And so, within Hibari's line of sight, a massive explosion instantly erupted, and the violent shockwave immediately swept away all the surrounding trees.

"You've gotta be kidding me, my bear paw!" Hibari cursed, watching the howling shockwave about to hit their location.

No sooner said than done, Hibari quickly released little Tsunade from his embrace. He rapidly formed a few hand signs, and with a surge of chakra, he roared, "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

As Hibari's words fell, just before the shockwave reached them, five sturdy earthen walls instantly rose on the hillside where Hibari and little Tsunade stood.

After completing all this, Hibari immediately scooped little Tsunade back into his arms, shielding her with his body. No sooner had he done so than the violent shockwave surged past both of Hibari's sides. At the same time, Hibari saw several large trees flying over their heads.

"Incredibly powerful..." Hibari murmured softly.

The might came quickly and left just as fast. In a mere moment, the entire area returned to stillness. Only then did Hibari stand up with little Tsunade in his arms, looking at the five earthen walls he had just raised, three of which had already crumbled.

He couldn't help but think, "A distance of approximately three hundred meters, and the shockwave alone was enough to destroy three Earth-Style Walls... If that had hit us directly, we'd definitely be dead. An S-rank Collaboration Ninjutsu... truly deserving of the title."

Tsunade, held in Hibari's arms, looked at the majestic big bear that had been there just moments ago, now utterly gone, not even a trace of its fur remaining. Her 'opponent' had so abruptly vanished.

Her expression turned aggrieved, and then she let out a wail and started crying.

"My bear! My big bear is gone!!! Hibari-nii!!!" Tsunade cried, wiping away her tears, looking pitifully at Hibari.

Seeing his precious little sister crying so miserably, Hibari immediately roared, "Hiruzen!!! I know it's you, come out right now! You made Tsunade cry!!!!"

Meanwhile, Hiruzen, who had been standing frozen in the distance, watching the scene, suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, it's done! It actually worked! I've been practicing for so long, and I finally successfully unleashed this so-called 'S-rank Collaboration Ninjutsu'! The chakra consumption is so little, yet the power is so immense. That kid Hibari is truly a genius, hahahahaha!!!"

If he hadn't laughed so loudly, Hibari wouldn't have found his location. Here he was, laughing maniacally towards the sky like he was possessed, and Hibari, holding little Tsunade, quickly followed the sound to his side.

At this point, Hiruzen belatedly noticed the two of them and asked with some surprise, "Huh? Hibari, Tsunade? How did you two end up so deep in these mountains?"

"Damn you! Next time you experiment with ninjutsu, can you please check your surroundings first? We were nearly blown to smithereens by your jutsu just now!!!" Hibari yelled, exasperated.

Tsunade squirmed a few times, slid off Hibari's body, and ran furiously to Hiruzen, pounding his legs with her small fists. As she hit him, she cried, "You owe me a bear! That was my bear! You killed my bear!!"

Hiruzen looked at little Tsunade with a bewildered expression, then at Hibari, and asked, "What's going on? What bear?"

Hibari rolled his eyes at Hiruzen in exasperation and said, "The bear you just used as a target for that jutsu was also the one we were after. Just now, Tsunade was about to go and hunt that brown bear herself, but as soon as she stood up, you blew it to dust... No wonder she's throwing a tantrum!"

Hiruzen couldn't help but laugh and cry at Hibari's explanation. He quickly picked up little Tsunade and said, "Don't cry, don't cry. Don't worry, Hiruzen-jisan has been in these mountains for days. I just found a den of bear cubs. I'll take you there in a bit, and we'll catch them all."

"Really?" Tsunade stopped her crying, looking at Hiruzen with great anticipation.

"Could it be false?" Hiruzen said with a chuckle.

After coaxing and tricking little Tsunade into calming down, Hiruzen excitedly said, "Hibari, you're incredible! This jutsu actually works! Look at this power! Guess how much chakra I used?"

"How much?" Hibari asked, also curious.

"At most, the amount for a regular A-rank ninjutsu. I just combined four C-rank ninjutsu according to your theory. I originally intended to complete the jutsu first and then adjust the power, but I never expected it to achieve such terrifying effects like this! Amazing, truly amazing!" Hiruzen said with great excitement.

"Then if this jutsu were to be amplified... how powerful could it become?" Hibari raised an eyebrow and asked.

Hiruzen thought for a moment and said, "If it were amplified to the chakra consumption of a normal S-rank ninjutsu, casting such a jutsu could, I think, flatten everything within two to three kilometers at least..."

However, at this point, Hiruzen paused and continued, "But then, one's own safety wouldn't be guaranteed. It's highly likely you'd be caught in it too, so it's better not to mess around like that..."

Hibari heard this and thought to himself, Two to three kilometers, that's barely acceptable. Deidara's self-detonation covered ten kilometers, after all... But then he reconsidered, that jutsu requires sacrificing your life, but this one doesn't!

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