CHAPTER 260: CHAPTER 260: NEED TO FIND A WAY TO STIR UP TROUBLE

Thousand-Armed Murder.

Kyoichi didn’t think this jutsu was overwhelmingly powerful, but its chakra usage was quite fascinating—it operated through a unique mode of chakra manipulation.

A fusion of offense and defense, its power was decent.

The only issue was...

Its counterattack strength, while solid, still fell within the realm of standard techniques. It didn’t have the devastating destructive force of Sage Arts. It could handle ordinary ninja just fine, but against people like Hidan or Kakuzu—it wasn’t nearly enough.

But—

Kyoichi had his own methods.

Air Palm, Frog Kata—

Both were taijutsu styles that shared similarities. Integrating them into Thousand-Armed Mjrder would make it even more potent and unpredictable. That was his next step: to combine them into a cohesive system.

In fact...

Why couldn’t Thousand-Armed Murder’s counterattack take the form of a blade?

Techniques are dead things; it’s thinking that breathes life into them. There was no need to confine oneself to the original structure of an old jutsu.

After walking Chiriku back to the Konoha Ninja Academy, Kyoichi stayed quiet.

Along the way, Chiriku was still digesting the things Kyoichi had said earlier.

"To protect..."

That kind of core philosophy resonated deeply with the Fire Temple.

As warrior monks, they didn’t encourage arrogance or aggression. But just as Kyoichi said—when one feels the urge to protect someone, they can awaken tremendous power and potential.

So this was...

The Will of Fire.

His emotions were mixed.

Chiriku was still young, and much of what he knew came from the teachings of elders. His understanding of Konoha, the Hokage, and the Will of Fire was very one-dimensional.

In fact...

Some of the things he’d heard even painted the Hokage as a threat to the daimyō’s authority—a power figure who shared or stole influence, almost like a king without a crown.

Of course—

That was how certain nobles saw it.

But...

Now that he’d arrived in Konoha, he realized things weren’t like that at all.

Konoha was powerful.

But all of its strength was focused on defending the village and the country. It wasn’t about conquest. In the entire shinobi history, Konoha had launched offensives against other villages only a handful of times.

From the very beginning—starting with the First Hokage—this philosophy had been passed down, shaping the entire village into the vibrant, thriving place it was today...

He suddenly found himself idolizing the First Hokage even more.

And of course—

Kyoichi.

He didn’t look much older than Chiriku, but his strength and way of thinking were on a completely different level. It was genuinely admirable.

"We’re here."

Kyoichi’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Chiriku looked up—and his mouth dropped open in awe.

In front of him was an enormous complex, easily several times larger than the "park" they visited earlier.

This... was a school?

It was even bigger than the Fire Temple.

"The school’s quite large, but even so, we often feel like it’s not enough. Come in. I’ll explain things as we go."

Kyoichi led Chiriku inside.

Chiriku quickly noticed that while the school had a lot of buildings, the central space was dominated by a huge open training ground, surrounded on all sides by the structures.

The field was massive.

It looked like it was divided into two main sections.

"From now on, this is where you’ll train and study. As an exchange student, you’ll be staying in the academy dorms. No need to worry about the cost—we’ve got it covered."

"Thank you very much!"

Chiriku bowed deeply. He was fully aware of how busy someone like Kyoichi must be. And yet, Kyoichi had taken time to personally guide and instruct him.

This kindness went beyond just the daimyō’s backing.

At Kyoichi’s level, status and politics didn’t hold much weight. Even if he had refused to receive Chiriku, no one—including the daimyō—would have blamed him.

Chiriku may have been young, but the high priest had already taught him to understand these things.

"It’s nothing. I’ve just happened to have some free time lately. If you’d arrived a little later, you probably wouldn’t have seen me at all—just a matter of timing. Go report in. I’ve already arranged your instructor. You’ll meet them once you’re inside."

"Yes! Thank you again, Kyoichi-sama!"

He gave a respectful monk’s bow, then turned and headed into the building.

Kyoichi watched him enter the main hall before turning and walking toward another wing of the school.

Yamashiro Aoba was over there.

That guy had pretty well-rounded abilities, but if you singled out any one area, he didn’t exactly shine.

He dabbled in genjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu.

But that was it—just dabbled.

Unlike Kyoichi’s own humility, Aoba was the real "knows a little of everything" type. He’d been training hard lately, but progress like his wasn’t something that yielded quick results.

So in addition to refining his jutsu, Aoba had started working on something else—training ninja birds.

These days...

He didn’t just have crows. He’d expanded to several common species and had quietly spread them across the entire academy.

At this point...

Yamashiro Aoba was basically a living surveillance system.

He noticed Kyoichi’s arrival immediately, but assumed he was here to see someone else—maybe Obito or another student—so he didn’t think too much of it.

"Aoba."

"Eh? You were looking for me, sensei?"

Yamashiro Aoba blinked in surprise.

He thought Kyoichi was coming to check on someone more important. He hadn’t expected it to be him.

"Yeah."

"Understood—awaiting instructions."

Aoba stood at attention—an old habit from the battlefield that he still kept.

Kyoichi waved his hand.

"No need to be so stiff. I just wanted to chat a bit—and ask if you’d be willing to join Asuma’s squad for a one-year assignment as a guardian ninja for the daimyō in the Land of Fire’s capital."

"...Guardian ninja?"

Aoba was completely confused.

He’d never heard of that position before.

What kind of mission was that?

Kyoichi gave a brief explanation.

Aoba’s eyes widened in understanding.

So it was a unit tasked with protecting the daimyō, with half the members rotating from Konoha...

It actually sounded like a pretty good idea.

A few thoughts flashed through Aoba’s mind. Then he caught himself and apologized, "Sorry, Kyoichi-sama, I spaced out for a second. You said you want me to go with Asuma’s team?"

"Mm. The daimyō requested the team Asuma led during the Chūnin Exams. But since those teams are four-man squads, they’re short one member. I figured you’d be the best fit."

Kyoichi laid it all out.

Aoba was decent at everything, but he especially excelled in scouting and intelligence gathering—precisely the traits Asuma’s team lacked. With Aoba added, the squad’s balance would be perfect.

And—

He wasn’t limited to just crows anymore.

Aoba was genuinely flattered.

But...

Leaving the village...

He hesitated for a moment and finally asked, "Kyoichi-sama... if I go to the capital, will I still be able to raise my birds?"

"Of course. If you couldn’t, I wouldn’t even let you go."

Kyoichi chuckled, then added seriously, "No joke—you’ll continue raising ninja birds there just like here. In fact, try to expand their species so they can blend in better with the capital’s environment. That’ll help you tremendously in the future."

"I understand. If that’s the case, I’m willing to join the Guardian Ninja squad."

"Good."

Kyoichi wasn’t surprised.

Aoba was a textbook example of a dutiful ninja—he followed orders, didn’t ask for much, and did his best to cooperate with his teammates in combat.

The only pity was...

He just wasn’t strong enough.

"Do your best. I believe when you come back, you’ll be one step closer to becoming a truly qualified ninja."

"Thank you, sir!"

With this talk done, the core members of the team were all set.

There was nothing more to worry about on the Guardian Ninja front. Kyoichi turned his attention toward Nagato and the Land of Water.

The issue with Nagato was the Rinnegan.

The research into White Zetsu cells hadn’t progressed far enough to be convincing. He’d have to wait until the hospital’s DNA sequencing project advanced further before reaching out to Nagato.

Which meant...

The next step would be the Land of Water.

Of course, Kyoichi had no intention of just sitting around waiting for Yagura to show up—that was just something he’d told Chūkichi to buy time. That said, the rogue ninja situation was real.

Chūkichi had already been branded a traitor by the Land of Water. Kirigakure had even mobilized its assassination squad to hunt him down.

His commission now carried no real weight.

So—

He needed to find a way to stir things up.

And for that...

After giving it some thought, Kyoichi decided to send Might Guy and Obito.

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