Talent System In The Naruto Universe-Chapter 165. Orochimaru Volunteers

"Sensei, I went to the Anbu."

As Hanekawa walked, he began talking about the recent war situation in the Land of Frost.

"Rasa's strength is truly remarkable," Tsunade said, raising an eyebrow.

"Fortunately, the Third Raikage's scheme didn't succeed; otherwise, we'd be facing enemies on both sides."

This was precisely the crisis Konoha faced in the original story—being attacked by Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure in succession.

If it hadn't been for Minato Namikaze and his Flying Thunder God Technique, Konoha would likely have suffered a crushing defeat.

Because of his great contributions, despite his youth, he became the Fourth Hokage.

But things were different now. Becoming Hokage wouldn't be so easy for him.

"Teacher, I'm going to buy two popsicles."

Hanekawa walked toward a nearby shop, while Tsunade stopped to wait.

"Here."

Hanekawa handed one of the popsicles to Tsunade.

"Eating a popsicle in the summer is great."

Tsunade licked the ice with her soft pink tongue. The biting cold sent a shiver through her, making her feel incredibly refreshed.

Hanekawa blinked. This scene was truly captivating.

After returning home and having lunch, Tsunade couldn't resist heading to the casino. She originally wanted to bring Hanekawa along, but he declined, saying he needed to train.

Earth Release: Heavenly Falling Clay!

Hanekawa formed seals with his hands, and not far away, the air twisted, releasing large amounts of clay.

Over the past two months, aside from mastering the Yin Seal, he had been practicing Earth Release techniques.

Earth Release: Heavenly Falling Clay was a B-rank ninjutsu used by Anbu ninjas in the original story. Hanekawa obtained the technique from the scrolls Tsunade got from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hanekawa."

At that moment, Rin Nohara approached.

"Do you need something?"

Hanekawa noticed her hesitant expression and asked.

"Well... I need a favor." Rin took a deep breath. "I want to try the Spirit Transformation Technique."

"How do you want to test it?" Hanekawa asked, looking puzzled. "Are you planning to possess me?"

"No, no, I can't do that yet," Rin said, shaking her head quickly. "I'm just worried something might go wrong during my first attempt, and I need someone who can bring me back."

"I see." Hanekawa nodded. "Alright, go ahead. I'll keep an eye on things."

"Thank you."

Rin formed seals with her hands. The moment she finished, her body shuddered, and she collapsed backward.

Hanekawa quickly caught her, a faint fragrance filling the air. Supporting her soft, slender waist, he made sure she didn't fall.

Scanning the area, he noticed something unusual three meters to his left—a cluster of energy. It felt like chakra, but slightly different.

Hanekawa thought of the Pure Land. In the original story, when a ninja died, their soul would return to the Pure Land, never to reincarnate. Edo Tensei could summon souls back to the living world, and the Sage of Six Paths could directly summon souls from the Pure Land.

At that moment, he noticed Rin's soul drifting farther away.

What's going on?

Simultaneously, he realized Rin's body was growing colder.

"Rin!"

Hanekawa shouted while channeling chakra into her body.

A few seconds later, Rin suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath as though exhausted.

"How are you feeling?" Hanekawa asked, relieved.

"I felt a strange summoning, like something was calling me... then I lost consciousness," Rin said after a moment. "Later, I heard your voice and dispelled the jutsu in time."

"A summoning?" Hanekawa raised an eyebrow. Could it be the Pure Land?

In the original story, only Dan Katō mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, but it didn't detail the specific training process.

Since Dan had died during the Second Shinobi War, Rin had to figure it out on her own.

"Let me check."

Hanekawa placed his hand on her forehead.

Rin froze, realizing the situation she was in—being held in Hanekawa's arms.

Having her forehead touched wasn't a big deal, but being entirely in his embrace was different. She could clearly feel his warmth and faint heartbeat.

The next second, her face turned bright red.

Feeling dizzy, she instinctively clutched his arm, unsure of how to react.

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"Your body seems fine," Hanekawa said with a smile, noticing her flushed face.

"T-Thank you..." Rin mumbled, keeping her head down to avoid his gaze. She leaned closer, feeling his warmth and scent, her body tingling slightly.

"If you can overcome that summoning, you should be able to master the Spirit Transformation Technique," Hanekawa said thoughtfully. Though he hadn't experienced it himself, he could reasonably infer that when Rin's soul left her body, it might have triggered the Pure Land's call, treating her as dead.

"I... I understand..."

Rin Nohara instinctively broke free from Hanekawa's embrace, took a step back, and with a flushed face, whispered softly, "Shall we try again?"

Hanekawa smiled and asked, "Want to give it another shot?"

"Wait!" Rin quickly shook her head. In her current state, she was sure to fail.

"Alright, then take a moment to reflect on what happened," Hanekawa said, turning away to continue practicing Earth Release: Heavenly Falling Clay.

Seeing this, Rin exhaled deeply, covering her face with her hands, feeling her cheeks burning. After several minutes, she finally calmed down.

Standing still, she carefully recalled what had happened during her previous attempt at the Spirit Transformation Technique. After a long pause, she opened her eyes and glanced at Hanekawa. The thought of falling into his arms again made her heart race, yet for some reason, she felt a slight sense of anticipation.

"Umm..." Rin mustered her courage to speak.

"Ready?" Hanekawa asked with a smile.

"Yes." Rin formed the seals once more, and just like before, Hanekawa caught her as her body collapsed.

Mind's Eye! Hanekawa closed his eyes, focusing his sensory abilities. This time, Rin managed to maintain control for a full minute longer than before before losing consciousness.

"Thank you," Rin said softly, her cheeks slightly red.

"Don't mention it," Hanekawa replied, blinking. "I'm always happy to help."

"You're... very kind," Rin said bashfully, unable to meet his gaze.

Hanekawa found the situation somewhat amusing but didn't say anything.

"Let's keep training," Rin suggested, now a little more comfortable with the close contact after two attempts. After all, this was purely for the sake of mastering the Spirit Transformation Technique.

"Alright," Hanekawa nodded. Although it delayed his own training, helping a teammate improve would benefit their ninja squad as a whole. Besides, holding a cute girl wasn't exactly unpleasant—he wouldn't deny his natural instincts as a man.

By the time sunset arrived, Rin gave Hanekawa a grateful look and said, "Thank you, Hanekawa. Sorry for taking up your whole afternoon."

"It's no problem," Hanekawa replied, then asked, "How do you feel?"

"I've gained a basic understanding of the Spirit Transformation Technique," Rin said, smiling excitedly. "I think I'll soon reach the next stage."

"Good luck," Hanekawa encouraged with a smile.

At that moment, Yūhi Kurenai appeared between them, walking over.

"What are you two talking about?" Kurenai asked curiously, glancing around.

"Spirit Transformation Technique," Rin said, a little embarrassed.

"I heard Hanekawa mention that it allows your soul to leave your body," Kurenai said with interest. "Can you do it now?"

"Not quite yet," Rin replied, shaking her head. "Once I've mastered it, I'll show you."

"It's a deal then!" Kurenai said enthusiastically, taking Rin's hand. "Tsunade-sensei is back. Let's go have dinner."

"Okay." Rin nodded in agreement.

---

By August, Konoha's weather had become even hotter, though chakra control helped ninja regulate their body temperature. Hanekawa, having mastered the Yin Seal, was even less bothered by the heat.

Outside Tsunade's house, Kurenai watched Rin expectantly.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Rin asked, a little worried.

"Don't worry!" Kurenai said confidently. "Just go for it!"

With Hanekawa's help, Rin had made rapid progress in mastering the Spirit Transformation Technique over the past two months. Now, she was ready for the most critical stage: invading another person's mental world to either disrupt their mind or control their body.

Kurenai had volunteered to be Rin's first test subject.

"Don't worry, I've got your back," Hanekawa reassured her. To be safe, he had also asked Tsunade to oversee the process.

"You may begin," Tsunade said calmly.

Rin nodded slightly and formed the seals. The next second, her body froze in place. Now that she had become more familiar with the technique, she no longer needed Hanekawa's support to remain upright.

In the invisible realm above them, Rin's soul, glowing faintly, drifted toward Kurenai and entered her body. Instantly, Rin's perspective changed, and she found herself in a bizarre, kaleidoscopic world.

"This is amazing. I can see you," Kurenai's voice echoed. "But I can't move my body."

"A single body can only host one soul," Tsunade explained. "With two souls present, the body becomes confused and unresponsive. You'll need to compete within the mental world to determine who gains control."

"Let's do it!"

Kurenai was eager to give it a try, but she quickly realized things were going wrong. She had no idea how to fight in the spiritual realm, and within just a few seconds, she was completely defeated. Over half of the spiritual world was taken over by Rin.

"Alright, that's enough," Tsunade reminded. "If you continue, it could cause harm."

Hearing this, Rin immediately deactivated the Spirit Transformation Technique. Her soul returned to her body, and she opened her eyes.

"Ugh, that felt awful," Kurenai shuddered, clearly shaken. She didn't want to experience that again.

"Sorry, Kurenai," Rin apologized, embarrassed.

"It's not your fault," Kurenai said with a smile. "Once you've fully mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, our team will be much stronger."

"I'll learn it as quickly as I can!" Rin said with determination, nodding firmly.

Suddenly, a sound of rushing wind echoed.

"Lady Tsunade," an ANBU ninja named Haru appeared and said, "The Hokage has summoned you to the meeting room for a jōnin council."

"A jōnin council?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Did something happen with Sunagakure?"

"We just received intelligence—Sunagakure is requesting aid from Konoha," Haru reported without hesitation.

Hanekawa, Kurenai, and Rin exchanged glances. There was no doubt about it—war was coming, and Konoha would have to join the fight.

"Understood," Tsunade said, nodding slightly. "Hanekawa, let's go."

"Yes, sensei," Hanekawa responded before turning to Kurenai and Rin. "We'll be back soon."

The two quickly made their way to the meeting room in the Hokage's building. As Hanekawa entered, his heart skipped a beat—he spotted two familiar faces: Orochimaru and Anko Mitarashi.

"Tsunade, long time no see," Orochimaru said, taking the initiative to greet her.

"I didn't expect you to show up at a meeting," Tsunade remarked with surprise.

"Just wanted a change of scenery," Orochimaru replied casually.

"Is that so?" Tsunade smirked. "More likely, the old man asked you to come."

Orochimaru didn't bother to deny it. Instead, his gaze shifted to Anko and Hanekawa, who were chatting. They had known each other since their academy days.

"Tch," Tsunade muttered as she noticed someone else entering. "That old guy dared to come too."

Danzo Shimura also noticed her, his expression darkening, though he didn't approach her and instead took his seat. While he had lost his position as head of Root, he was still an advisor to the Hokage, making him a high-ranking member of Konoha's leadership.

Before long, Hiruzen Sarutobi entered the room, accompanied by Konoha's two elder advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

"Yesterday, Sunagakure was ambushed by Kumogakure, resulting in a loss of six to seven hundred ninja," Hiruzen began slowly. "Currently, Sunagakure is retreating, while Kumogakure is in pursuit. It won't be long before they reach the Land of Fire."

"We can't let Kumogakure reach the Land of Fire!"

"We must send troops to intercept them!"

"With Sunagakure's support, Konoha has a good chance of defeating Kumogakure!"

The room fell into a tense silence as the jōnin present exchanged serious looks and began discussing the situation.

"Indeed," Hiruzen raised his hand, signaling for silence. "Konoha will immediately organize a force of four thousand ninja to march. The leader of this mission will be..."

"I'll lead the troops," Orochimaru interrupted unexpectedly.

"Hmm?" Hiruzen was momentarily stunned, clearly surprised.

"Orochimaru has extensive experience. With him leading, there shouldn't be any issues," Danzo chimed in, supporting Orochimaru.

Hiruzen's expression hardened. Are they working together again?

"Alright," Hiruzen said after a brief hesitation, agreeing to the suggestion.

Hanekawa felt a sense of unease. This is a big problem!

If it were only Orochimaru, it wouldn't be as concerning, but with Danzo involved as well, this mirrored the events in the original timeline. Both Orochimaru and Danzo had competed with Minato Namikaze for the position of Fourth Hokage. Now, it was Tsunade they were competing against.

Hanekawa thought to himself, This complicates things. If Orochimaru succeeds in repelling Kumogakure, he'll gain significant merit.

He realized he had underestimated the situation. While Minato had stolen the spotlight in the original story, it was crucial now to ensure that Tsunade earned comparable achievements.

"Let's move on to the second matter," Hiruzen continued without giving the crowd time to dwell on the first. "Kirigakure has shown signs of activity."

The jōnin present were visibly alarmed. Could it be that Konoha would have to fight on two fronts?

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