I, Konoha’s Sage of Life

"You’re still young. Right now, you don’t need to risk your life. The proper path is to focus on improving yourself. Once we reach the village, I'll teach you some techniques to make you stronger."

"Yes!"

"Oh, by the way, Tsunade-nee, her sensory abilities seem quite strong. Back in Kusagakure, others didn't notice me, but she was the first to detect me underground. Just now, she also sensed you before I did."

Kyoichi reminded her.

"Sensory abilities? I'll keep an eye on that. Anything else?" Tsunade asked.

"Her chakra control is excellent. She picked up the Transformation Jutsu instantly, showing good comprehension. Her physique is also very strong—she reminds me a bit of Kushina."

Kyoichi listed the details one by one.

Oriri remained silent on the side.

Kushina...

Of course, she knew of her.

A clanswoman chosen as a Jinchūriki. She had once admired her, yet she never wanted to be her—

Because being a Jinchūriki was a tragic fate.

She never wanted to be one.

"Kushina, huh..."

Tsunade's expression grew complicated, and she let out a long sigh.

She had always admired Kushina.

Unfortunately...

The role of a Jinchūriki limited her.

Tsunade looked at Oriri, a different emotion flickering in her gaze.

She had taken a liking to this girl.

Hearing Kyoichi’s assessment, she felt that Oriri might even be able to inherit her techniques and become an outstanding medical ninja in the future.

Of course—

That would require Oriri to overcome her psychological barriers.

"Let’s go. You can take a bath at my place first."

"Okay!"

"...Your place?"

Fine. If I’m not around, it’s yours then.

Kyoichi internally grumbled.

Just as he was about to leave, Tsunade shot him a look, stopping him.

Bringing an ANBU ninja into the village wasn’t something anyone would question. They returned home without any trouble.

Not much had changed in the house.

The walls had been repaired, but compared to previous destruction, this damage was relatively mild.

It was clear that Tsunade and Kushina had been "sparring" quite a bit in the courtyard lately.

Kyoichi was speechless and chose to pretend he hadn't noticed.

Once Oriri went to bathe, Tsunade finally asked, "Don’t worry, I won’t let that old bastard get his hands on her. But about the frontlines—are you sure sneaking into Kusagakure to take her won’t cause any issues?"

"It won’t. We’ve withdrawn from the Land of Grass."

"Huh? What happened?"

Tsunade was taken aback—she hadn’t received this intel at all.

After all, frontline reports had yet to reach her, and Kyoichi’s main body hadn’t used Katsuyu to inform her in the past two days either.

Kyoichi’s shadow clone explained the plan to her in a low voice.

At first, Tsunade frowned, but after listening carefully, she thought for a while before nodding.

"This strategy is indeed feasible. If you can pass through Takigakure and reach Ōnoki’s rear, it might seriously cripple Iwagakure."

"The main body and Jiraiya went to ambush the Explosion Corps. That mission should be foolproof."

Kyoichi's shadow clone spoke confidently.

What he didn’t know—

Was that the main body had not only ambushed the explosion corps but also captured the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi, and, in passing, managed to throw out Ōnoki’s back again.

Of course—

Kyoichi didn’t have confirmation of Ōnoki’s back injury. He just guessed it based on the fact that Ōnoki didn’t manage to catch up.

After reading the frontline report, Tsunade furrowed her brows even tighter and immediately summoned a Katsuyu clone to verify the details.

Minutes later, new intelligence arrived.

Tsunade scanned the document. It didn’t include many specifics—just a brief mention of infiltrating the Land of Earth, slaying numerous enemy ninjas, and capturing a Four-Tails Jinchūriki.

But…

From the battle report, all she could see was one thing—

Reckless fighting.

"You bastard!"

"Tsunade-nee, if you’re going to hit someone, hit the main body. I’m just a shadow clone; I shouldn’t have to take the punch!"

Kyoichi’s shadow clone immediately tried to escape.

Tsunade snapped, "Stand still! If I hit you, that idiot will feel it too—it’s the same effect!"

"It’s not the same! I didn’t do anything, so why should I take the hit for my main body?"

The shadow clone protested.

He was innocent!

"Stand still!"

Tsunade, furious, didn’t care about reasoning anymore.

Taking on a Jinchūriki head-on.

And in the Land of Earth, no less.

Did he have a death wish?!

"Tsunade-nee, I’ll visit you next time. I’ll take my leave now—please say goodbye to Oriri for me!"

The shadow clone gave a wave and—

Poof!

A burst of chakra fluctuation, and the shadow clone dispersed itself.

Tsunade had nowhere to vent her frustration, leaving her with a belly full of pent-up anger.

Unfortunately…

Kyoichi had escaped too fast.

Inside the house, Oriri secretly peeked through the bathroom’s small window.

Seeing Kyoichi "disappear," she leaned on the windowsill, a trace of reluctance and newfound resolve on her face.

There are good people in Konoha after all!

…

"Ugh!"

Kyoichi, currently leading Asuma and the others on patrol and training, suddenly felt an intense backlash from the shadow clone.

It had lasted over a full day.

If he weren’t physically strong, he might have fainted on the spot.

"Sensei?"

"It’s nothing, just a sudden headache. Let’s head back."

Kyoichi rubbed his temples.

Tobirama was right to classify Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu as a forbidden technique.

For the average person, overusing it could genuinely cause sudden death—

This backlash alone could have knocked out anyone else.

Then again—

Most people's shadow clones probably wouldn’t last that long anyway.

Still—

It wasn’t without rewards.

[Uzumaki Oriri views you as her life mentor.]

[Reward: Increased Vitality.]

Vitality increase!

Kyoichi hadn’t expected that saving Uzumaki Oriri would earn him such a reward.

He decided to claim it once he got back to camp.

Upon returning, he activated the reward and immediately felt a noticeable increase in his vitality.

His body strength also showed slight improvement as a result.

Though the boost wasn’t massive, it was a passive enhancement!

The key factor is still vitality.

No matter how much you have, it’s never enough—just look at Hashirama Senju.

"Seems like next time, I should find a way to test it on Nagato."

Kyoichi mused to himself.

Up until now, he had only interacted with Yahiko. Even Konan was just incidental, and he had barely spoken with Nagato at all. Next time, he needed to find a way to get to know him—it wouldn’t do to be limited to just Yahiko.

After returning to the village...

He could expand in other directions as well.

But for now, the key issue was still Iwagakure and Ōnoki.

At the moment, the Iwa-nin were sticking together, continuously using Earth Release to construct defensive fortifications along the borders of the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire. A sneak attack was no longer feasible. As for the Kusa-nin...

The Iwa-nin showed them no mercy.

Any hard labor or dangerous tasks—they had to do them all.

Refuse?

Get beaten!

The Kusa-nin were now experiencing firsthand the difference between Konoha’s and Iwagakure’s definitions of "ally," and they were regretting it to no end. Many of them secretly resented their leader for not agreeing to help Konoha.

The leader had no response.

Konoha’s ninja, meanwhile, were thoroughly enjoying the show, watching from the sidelines with great satisfaction.

Slacked off before? Now you're paying for it!

Sure, it was technically aiding the enemy, but considering the kind of people the Kusa-nin were, they deserved some punishment. They were disgusting as allies—much better to deal with them as enemies.

Only a few felt this approach was inappropriate.

For example, Danzo.

But...

He didn’t dare to stick around here right now. The Third Hokage was too dominant—after the last verbal lashing, he had lost all face. At this moment, he was desperate for the Third to lose a battle, just to prove himself right.

However...

He was completely unaware of the full extent of the Third and Kyoichi’s plan.

At this moment, Jiraiya had traveled east to meet with Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze for a discussion.

"Sensei, now that you’re here, does the Hokage have any specific orders?"

"He does, but they’re not from the old man—they’re from Kyoichi."

"Oh?"

Orochimaru glanced up, his interest piqued.

If the orders were from the old man, he could guess what they were without even looking. But if they were from Kyoichi, then perhaps there was something interesting in store.

Jiraiya pulled out a scroll.

On it was the general strategic plan written by the Third Hokage.

Orochimaru leaned in for a look, then licked his lips in excitement. "The essence of warfare is using the many to overwhelm the few. Kyoichi-kun's strategy—I quite approve!"

"Maneuver warfare, deep penetration, flanking maneuvers..."

Minato analyzed it carefully.

This strategy seemed to follow the same vein as the one used to defeat Kirigakure before. However, this time, it was grander in scale.

He thought for a moment and said, "To execute this, the team must have both strong assault capabilities and high mobility. The best choices would be those who excel in both."

"Exactly. Kyoichi mentioned this as well. The penetration team must be flexible and fast—otherwise, a flanking maneuver could turn into a counter-encirclement."

Jiraiya nodded.

Kyoichi had given special emphasis to this point.

"In that case, Minato will have to lead the team himself. Minato, you’ll execute this mission. You get first pick of the personnel. There’s only one requirement—you must complete the mission!"

Orochimaru issued the order without hesitation.

He had briefly considered leading the team himself.

Speed? He could manage that.

But when it came to dealing with those old tortoises from Iwagakure, his offensive capabilities weren’t quite up to the task.

"Hey, I’m the battlefield commander here," Jiraiya objected.

"Heh. Then you do it."

"Ahem... Minato, go ahead and pick your team. This mission is yours now. Also, Kyoichi said that if things don’t go well, don’t fight to the death. There’s no need to get entangled in a life-or-death struggle with the Iwa-nin. If this plan doesn’t work out, just pull back and regroup—we’ll hit Kumogakure instead."

Jiraiya relayed the message.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

Well, well...

So there was another move in play?

Pulling back to attack Kumogakure instead...

That possibility hadn’t even crossed his mind—he had been fully focused on coordinating against Iwagakure.

But...

Now that Jiraiya had pointed it out, he immediately understood the true essence of maneuver warfare—flexibility, not being confined to a fixed strategy, adjusting actions according to the situation.

That was what made it "maneuver"!

After thinking it over, he didn’t change his decision. Instead, he simply patted Minato on the shoulder and said, "Don’t fixate on any single target. This kind of tactic requires adaptability. As long as you can maneuver the enemy and create localized numerical advantages, it’s enough."

"Understood!"

Minato had already grasped a vague idea, but with Orochimaru’s clarification, everything clicked into place.

Even if his team couldn’t inflict significant casualties, they could still distract and pull enemy forces away, creating an opening for Konoha’s main forces.

And perhaps...

A small pursuit force wasn’t necessarily at a disadvantage—it might even turn the tables and take down isolated enemies.

However...

As he went outside to select his team, Minato recalled a major concern.

What about Obito and the others?

The battlefield was ruthless.

Obito had matured quite a bit over the past weeks, but he was still far from elite. The same went for Rin. Among the three of them, only Kakashi barely met the standard.

Not just because Kakashi was stronger, but also because he wielded both Lightning Release and Earth Release.

Lightning Release countered Earth Release, while Earth Release could be crucial for survival and escape.

Obito and Rin... fell short in those aspects.

Minato hesitated, but soon, an image of Kyoichi surfaced in his mind.

If it were him, he would make the decision without hesitation.

He walked over to the three of them.

"Obito, Rin, for now, you two will be under my sensei’s guidance."

"Huh? Sensei, is there a mission?"

"A new battle plan. I can’t share the details, but the requirements are extremely high—even Kakashi barely qualifies. So... there’s no choice."

Minato ruffled Obito’s hair. "Obito, while we’re gone, make sure to take care of Rin."

Obito glanced at Rin, then nodded firmly. "Yes, Minato-sensei!"

As expected...

As long as Rin was involved, this kid would quickly forget everything else.

It felt a little underhanded to use this against him, but...

Sorry, Obito.

Minato silently apologized in his heart, then left with Kakashi.

"Obito, this mission is really dangerous for them."

"Yeah... Next time, we’ll definitely become strong enough to earn Sensei’s recognition too."

Obito nodded.

He had actually wanted to say, "Once the war is over, let’s go back and ask Kyoichi for training." But before the words left his mouth, something felt off, so he wisely kept quiet.

Rin was unaware of his thoughts and simply nodded earnestly.