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[Konoha2] Chapter 24: First Test of Skill!
🕑 Added 2025-04-27 17:34:07 +0000 UTCAs the sun set in the west, Hajime Hoshita stepped out of the Land of Fire and entered the Land of Waterfalls.
This country was nestled within a basin, surrounded on all sides by mountains, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.
The layout of Takigakure, the Village Hidden by Waterfalls, was much the same.
It was like a smaller basin within a larger one, with Takigakure itself encircled by countless waterfalls, making any attempt to sneak in unnoticed even more difficult.
Hajime did not immediately set out to assassinate the minister of the Land of Waterfalls. Instead, he traveled through the night and arrived near Takigakure around eight in the evening.
Finding a clearing within a forest, Hajime sat down to rest.
Once his stamina had fully recovered, he created six wood clones to continue training.
After eating a few soldier pills, Hajime climbed to the summit of a mountain and, hidden by the darkness, gazed down from afar at the scattered lights of Takigakure.
However, he had no intelligence about the village, so he didn’t dare to sneak in recklessly.
After observing for a while, Hajime found a hidden spot and settled in to keep watch.
Unknowingly, night turned to morning.
Around ten o'clock, Hajime locked onto a small squad of Takigakure shinobi.
He silently tailed them, and once they had moved a fair distance away from the village, Hajime struck, creating wood clones to launch a surprise attack.
"Wind Release: Breakthrough!"
His real body and three clones simultaneously unleashed the Wind Release technique from four different directions. A violent gale swept across the area, with chaotic currents colliding and throwing the Takigakure shinobi into immediate disarray, making it hard for them to control their movements.
Immediately after—
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
Raising his hand, vines and branches rapidly grew from Hajime's palm, surging forward like a giant serpent's maw, aiming straight at the four Takigakure shinobi.
"Be careful!" the squad captain shouted, brandishing his ninja blade and slashing wildly, sending wood chips flying.
But his strikes could not match the speed of the vines' growth, and he was forced to retreat step by step.
Suddenly, a vine shot up from behind him, wrapping around his legs and yanking hard. He toppled to the ground and was instantly entangled by a swarm of vines, completely losing the ability to resist.
It wasn’t just the captain—soon the other three Takigakure shinobi were also subdued by Hajime's wood clones.
Now came the interrogation.
Since Hajime wasn’t skilled in genjutsu, he had no choice but to resort to more conventional—and inevitably rough—methods of questioning.
Unwilling to witness the brutality himself, Hajime left the task entirely to his clones.
Half an hour later, the clones dispersed, bringing back a trove of information about Takigakure.
Among the intelligence: a rough map of the village, profiles of the village leader, and several elite jonin.
Unfortunately, there was not a trace of information regarding the most important thing—the secret technique known as Earth Grudge Fear.
These four were only chunin and didn't have the clearance to know such secrets.
After pondering for a while, Hajime decided to enter Takigakure to investigate firsthand.
Given Konoha's structure, it was reasonable to assume that a secret technique as important as Earth Grudge Fear would be kept either at the village leader’s office or somewhere very close by for ease of guarding.
According to the information provided by the captured Takigakure shinobi, Takigakure didn’t have a specialized archive building like Konoha.
Thus, the village leader’s office became the most likely place.
Entering Takigakure openly wasn’t difficult. Hajime easily disguised himself as someone submitting a mission request and gained entry.
Moreover, he genuinely submitted a mission, handing over real money.
Just like in Konoha, the mission submission point was located at the village’s core building—the Takigakure Leader's Office, equivalent to Konoha’s Hokage Tower.
In fact, the fewer elite jonin present in Takigakure, the easier it would be for Hajime to move around.
Spending a bit of money for that was nothing.
Besides, part of the funds he used had been taken from the four Takigakure shinobi he captured.
After submitting the mission, Hajime found a secluded spot where he could quietly cultivate while waiting.
It had to be said: even half-hearted training paired with clones resulted in remarkable efficiency.
Unfortunately, his chakra reserves were still insufficient.
Hajime couldn’t manage to create dozens—or even hundreds—of clones at once for large-scale training like Naruto could.
Moreover, he hadn’t yet mastered the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.
Time quickly slipped into the depths of night.
Hajime arrived outside the Takigakure leader’s office building.
At this hour, only a few scattered lights remained within the structure.
"I really need to check whether I have any sensory aptitude when I get back. Without sensory abilities, it’s hard to feel truly safe," Hajime thought to himself.
During previous missions, tasks like scouting and detection were naturally handled by Aburame Shino.
The Aburame clan shinobi had no trouble taking on the role of sensory ninja.
Inuzuka Ryo could be considered one too, but his talents were more suited for tracking.
After observing for a moment—
Under the moonlight, Hajime’s figure stretched into a blur as he silently infiltrated the office building.
Most of the structure was made of wood, which provided Hajime with excellent conditions for infiltration.
Though he didn’t possess White Zetsu’s ability to move freely underground, his mastery of Wood Release allowed him to merge into wooden surfaces to conceal himself.
Though the building had guards stationed, Hajime skillfully evaded them all using Wood Release techniques.
After spending nearly half an hour sneaking through, Hajime finally located the records room.
Using a small flashlight, he began to carefully search for information about the Earth Grudge Fear technique.
"Hmm?"
"It’s not here?"
Hajime frowned.
Could it be hidden somewhere else?
Or perhaps there was only ever a single copy of the Earth Grudge Fear secret technique, and it had been taken by Kakuzu long ago?
Just as he was pondering this, sudden movement behind him caught his attention.
Hajime whirled around to see a flash bomb tossed into the room.
There was an alarm system tied to the secret files!
The thought flashed through Hajime’s mind. Instinctively, he closed his eyes and sank swiftly into the wooden floor.
Boom!
The flash bomb detonated, turning the pitch-black room into a blinding sea of white light.
Swish, swish, swish!
Several figures darted into the room—only to find it empty.
"He escaped!"
"After him!"
Sharp cries rang out, and streaks of shadow shot under the building’s lights.
Once outside, Hajime sprinted at full speed toward Takigakure’s exit.
Behind him, squads of pursuers converged from every direction.
"Stop him!" someone shouted.
Up ahead, Takigakure shinobi vaulted onto the rooftops to intercept him.
Hajime’s eyes narrowed. Drawing his blade, he slashed forward, releasing three fierce wind blades.
Boom, boom, boom!
The rooftops collapsed with explosive force, clouds of dust billowing into the air.
Clang! Clang!
Amidst the clash of metal and flying debris, Hajime darted through the smoke, leaving two injured Takigakure shinobi lying amidst the ruins.
Before long, Hajime reached the village’s exit.
A massive waterfall thundered down ahead.
The gatekeepers had already taken their positions. Upon seeing Hajime charge forward, two Takigakure shinobi swiftly completed their hand seals.
Behind them, the waterfall’s raging currents surged upward, manipulated by their Water Release techniques, transforming into a raging river that came crashing down toward Hajime.
Hajime came to a stop. In his right palm, chakra rapidly condensed, forming a Rasengan in the blink of an eye.
The Rasengan then swelled dramatically, accompanied by a sharp, piercing hum as whirling blades took form.
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!
Carrying the spinning Rasenshuriken in his hand, Hajime charged forward to meet the onrushing river head-on. Just as the two forces were about to collide, he lifted his right hand and slammed the Rasenshuriken into the river.
Boom!
The sphere of light expanded violently, tearing apart the surging current and sending water exploding backward.
The two shinobi who had unleashed the Water Release were instantly swallowed by the backlash, swept away by the broken torrent.
Behind them, the waterfall itself collapsed in the upheaval.
Elsewhere, the pursuing Takigakure shinobi were caught in the ensuing storm, unable to maintain their footing.
At the center of the explosion, Hajime’s body first transformed into wood, then shattered into countless wooden fragments.
A Wood Release clone.
An imperfect Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
(End of Chapter)
