Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 145
🕑 Added 2025-01-18 19:26:52 +0000 UTC"I can somewhat understand how you're feeling," Masashi said.
Pakura turned to look at him.
"Time is something we all walk through. The joys and sorrows, the bitterness and sweetness, once tasted, become nothing more than memories—like waking up from a dream," Masashi continued. "Those who promise to stay with you forever can drift apart over something trivial. Those who vow never to abandon you will one day fade away like the wind. You have to get used to the inevitability of change."
"Sometimes you really do sound like an old man," Pakura frowned. "I thought with all your joking around, you were more optimistic."
"Come on! Everyone has their own rough patches," Masashi said with a shrug. "Take it from someone who's been through it: Remember what needs remembering, forget what needs forgetting, change what you can change, and accept what you can't."
"That makes sense," Pakura turned her head away. "But you're way off. Clearly, you don't understand women."
Hearing this, Kakashi glanced at the two of them. For some reason, he felt this was starting to resemble certain plotlines from Icha Icha Paradise.
Masashi didn't respond to her jab. This wasn't a matter of understanding women.
Returning to a familiar place, yet finding everything different—he had felt that way before.
Forgetting the years, forgetting the pain, wearing different masks to play different roles and live through different experiences—that's how he had coped.
Feeling tired or lost was perfectly normal. Even moments of pessimism weren't surprising.
Those who have faced death understand the preciousness of being alive.
And he believed that in this way, Pakura was just like him.
In the arena, another match concluded. The audience reacted indifferently—both participants were from small shinobi villages, and the fight wasn't much to look at.
The strategies were crude; it was almost comically bad.
However, the next match piqued Masashi's interest.
Anko was stepping into the ring.
Having trained her for so long, he watched attentively.
The result was satisfying—she had taken her lessons to heart, meeting all his expectations.
She easily won her match. Her opponent, covered in small snakes summoned from Ryūchi Cave, screamed as though being slaughtered, drawing laughter from the audience.
Time passed, and the matches continued one by one.
There were no unexpected breakout stars.
Kimimaro and Deidara stood far above the competition.
Anko's performance was second only to theirs, but she lacked their ability to control the pace of the fight.
As for Hana, her performance was less impressive.
From what Masashi observed, her innate talent for combat was limited. Her superiority over others came from her clan's secret techniques, but even that only took her so far.
When the matches finally ended, it was nighttime.
For one-on-one bouts like this, they usually wouldn't take long. The event had only stretched out because of the sheer number of participants this time.
Afterward, the team leaders escorted their shinobi back to rest.
But Masashi couldn't return just yet—he still had to attend the evaluation meeting.
As the leader of the Konoha delegation, he had to stay.
So did Kitsuchi, representing Iwa.
The final evaluations took place in the Kazekage's office.
Here, Masashi met Rasa and Yagura again.
This time, it was an informal meeting. Everyone was more relaxed.
Rasa, Yagura, Kitsuchi, and Masashi—the four of them would decide the final results tonight.
Masashi wasn't particularly invested in the outcome.
Konoha's objectives, thanks to Kakashi's efforts over the past days, had already been achieved.
He decided to ensure Konoha secured at least one promotion spot, giving it to Anko.
As for Hana, based on her performance today, he would recommend that her clan guide her toward a support-oriented role. Otherwise, they would only be harming her.
Not every Inuzuka could follow in Kiba's footsteps and excel in direct combat.
Hana's strength lay in her chakra control, which surpassed many in her clan. The Inuzuka clan, however, wasn't known for chakra finesse.
Her weakness was her lack of instinctive reactions to rapidly changing battle scenarios—a fatal flaw in combat.
In his opinion, Hana should become a medical-nin. It would maximize her strengths while avoiding her weaknesses.
The discussions among the four village representatives went as Masashi expected. Ultimately, five chunin promotion slots were decided: one for each of the four major villages, and one for a smaller village.
That slot went to a shinobi from Taki.
For Konoha, the opportunity went to Anko.
For Iwa and Kiri, it was no surprise that Deidara and Kimimaro took the spots. Suna's slot went to a puppeteer.
Puppetry was so common in Suna that people often forgot it was originally known for having the most Wind Release users.
He wasn't particularly interested in puppetry. What intrigued him was the Magnet Release unique to Rasa.
Through the Third Kazekage's human puppet, Masashi had gained a clear understanding of the techniques.
As he suspected, the so-called "Iron Sand" was merely a variation of Magnet Release. The Third Kazekage's unique chakra naturally generated magnetic forces, and the mineral-rich terrain of the Land of Wind gave rise to the iron sand.
The essence of Magnet Release was the same as Gaara's future abilities.
As his father and teacher, Rasa's techniques mirrored his son's. However, his gold sand had a weight advantage, though not the same quantity.
Returning to Konoha, Masashi's first priority was to master this technique. It would fill the last gap in his Ice Release.
And in the process, he would perfect his chakra's earth nature transformation.
Unlike with lightning nature, where he struggled, he found earth came naturally. Deciding not to overthink it, he resolved to focus on it for now.
Using techniques like Iron Skin felt far more comfortable than forcing himself into a Lightning Chakra Mode.
In time, everything fell into place. The joint Chunin Exams, nominally hosted by the four major villages but essentially carried by Konoha, drew to a close.
When the results were announced, Anko was overjoyed.
After Orochimaru's betrayal, she had feared her ninja career was over. That sense of falling from heaven to hell had been devastating for someone her age.
"Teacher! Thank you!" she cried, eyes brimming with tears, clearly hoping for a warm embrace.
Instead, Masashi sternly admonished her.
"Thank me for what? Stop with the empty words. At most, in a year, I'll take you to Ryūchi Cave. If you don't meet their standards, the White Snake Sage will terminate your contract with the cave."
Of course, this was a bluff. The Sage wouldn't even remember such a minor contract unless he brought it up.
And breaking the contract was out of the question. Having a few weak contractors wasn't a big deal—it was proof of popularity. Even Ryūchi Cave wasn't above such vanity.
Only the fussy Shikkotsu Forest would refuse contracts based on strength alone.
With the final day behind them, the Konoha delegation packed up and, under his lead, began their journey home.
---
The successful hosting and conclusion of the Joint Chunin Exams signified a turning point.
As the calendar turned to the 54th year of Konoha, a sense of stability began to take root.
While Konoha and Kumo were still technically in a ceasefire, the other four major ninja villages had officially established friendly relations, and even the smaller villages started to settle down.
Order was emerging across the shinobi world, and an era called "peace" seemed to be truly approaching.
As people's hearts gradually calmed, the Uchiha clan announced their plans to hold the second Snow and Ice Festival, at a timely moment.
The villagers, who had been eagerly awaiting the event after multiple postponements over the past two years, were thrilled with anticipation.
They even caught wind of some insider news: this time, Masashi was planning something brand new and spectacular.
The ladies on the shopping street dressed to impress every evening, hoping to catch a glimpse of him when he took a break from his artistic endeavors. They were eager to gather insider details to boast about in front of their friends.
Of course, this was merely secondary.
Primarily, they sympathized with him, feeling he worked too hard. They wanted to show their gratitude on behalf of Konoha's villagers and properly reward him for his efforts.
Everyone knew this: Masashi was strong.
He had defeated external threats and driven them away, ensuring Konoha's safety.
To enjoy this peaceful life, he had worked tirelessly.
As Konoha residents, people believed it was only right to appreciate such sacrifices.
On a new evening, Masashi entered the chakra training chamber within the Uchiha clan's grounds.
Since returning from leading the team at the Joint Chunin Exams, he had stayed within the clan compound, focusing on two tasks: mastering the Magnet Release and preparing for the Snow and Ice Festival.
Although bloodline limits inherently carried the word "blood" in their name, it didn't necessarily mean they were always tied to bloodlines.
For example, the Dust Release was classified as a bloodline selection, a level above bloodline limit. Yet, this technique was passed down to Ōnoki through learning, albeit with an incredibly high level of difficulty.
The Magnet Release, which was a bloodline limit, could also be learned.
After all, the Third Kazekage wasn't Rasa's father. Nor were the Second and Third Kazekage related by blood.
Bloodline inheritance among Kazekage wasn't a thing until Gaara, and even then, his case was special. Rasa certainly didn't pass his abilities genetically.
Masashi, having already mastered the Ice Release—a true example of inherited bloodline limit—felt confident in his ability to learn the Magnet Release.
However, it proved slightly harder than he initially expected. After months of experimentation, he deduced the main obstacle: a difference in proficiency between the two required chakra natures.
This disparity impacted the success rate of executing the Magnet Release.
Thus, over recent weeks, he had been focusing on improving his proficiency in earth nature transformation.
Tonight, he felt confident that he had reached the required level and decided to try again.
The Uchiha chakra training chambers were spacious and organized into separate rooms tailored to different chakra natures.
After all, many techniques, particularly those involving the five basic elements, relied heavily on the environment. Earth and Water Release techniques were prime examples.
When constructing the chambers, the Uchiha clan adhered to the principle of environment simulation for elements that required it, and safety precautions for those that didn't.
For instance, the fire-nature training room was equipped with fire-resistant materials, as most buildings in Konoha were made of wood.
The lightning-nature training room featured comprehensive insulation. There had been numerous incidents where sparring targets remained intact, but bystanders ended up getting shocked—often hilariously, though such mishaps could lead to serious accidents if not managed properly.
For wind-nature training, safety tunnels and giant fans were installed to simulate airflow and prevent people from being blown away.
Earth and Water training areas were comparatively simpler, following one main rule: make them big.
In the water-nature chamber, there were even kayaks and life jackets for those who forgot they couldn't swim while practicing Water Release techniques.
Masashi stepped into the earth-nature chamber.
The room was vast, resembling the size of the pit inside a Terracotta Warriors museum. From the entrance to three meters inside, tatami mats lined the floor for standing space. Beyond that lay an enormous dirt pit.
The implication was clear: "Go ahead and practice. If you can fill this pit, you're impressive."
The chamber's design was visually striking, and first-time visitors often marveled at how the Uchiha clan apparently had more land than they knew what to do with.
But Masashi wasn't here to fill the pit.
He didn't even know many earth jutsu.
Sitting on the tatami mats, he pulled out a mirror and used his Sharingan to perform a genjutsu: Sharingan Projection.
There was a common misconception that Uchiha only knew how to spam high-powered attacks, but that was an unfair oversimplification.
The Sharingan had numerous practical applications.
For instance, it could record vivid details of important moments. When a review was necessary, the user could project these details onto a mirror and replay them using genjutsu.
Of course, this required the three-tomoe Sharingan.
This technique had been invaluable when Masashi learned the Ice Release.
In the mirror, the image shifted to a vast desert landscape. In the endless yellow sand stood the puppet of the Third Kazekage, performing the Iron Sand Technique.
Iron sand bullets roared past Masashi's "body" in the illusion, vanishing behind him.
But his focus was solely on the chakra pathways within the puppet.
He reviewed the scene repeatedly, memorizing every movement, chakra flow, and fusion process.
Once satisfied, he dispelled the genjutsu.
The chakra training chamber reappeared before his eyes.
Standing up, he walked to the edge of the dirt pit and clasped his hands together.
Ninja are often recognized for the elaborate hand signs used to perform jutsu. However, as their control over chakra improves, fewer hand signs are needed.
At the pinnacle of mastery, a single hand sign suffices—its primary function being chakra extraction. The most common example is the prayer-like hands-clasped gesture.
It could also be done with one hand, though the effect wasn't as efficient.
With his hands clasped, Masashi efficiently molded chakra and divided it into two streams, one for earth-nature and the other for wind-nature transformation. The chakra flowed through his feet and into the dirt pit below.
From the pit, a rustling sound emerged.
Something was rising from the bottom.
Hearing this, Masashi smiled.
Magnet Release was a success!
As if to confirm his thoughts, with a loud whoosh, a stream of yellow sand shot up from the pit like a fountain, reaching the ceiling before cascading back down.
