84 Chapter 84

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Kyomu felt quite frustrated as well.

Halfway through the mission, he was urgently recalled. It didn't matter if the mission was aborted, but his plan to hunt down foreign ninjas had completely failed.

The passive skill "Devil's Contract" lasted too short, considering the time spent traveling back and forth, resting, and accepting missions. Kyomu felt extremely pressed for time to hunt down foreign ninjas for new kekkei genkais.

"Well, I did take care of a ninja of the level of the Scorch Release Blood Limit, so I'll not consider this month passive a waste," Kyomu comforted himself, while also looking forward to the passive skill next month.

"If only I could get a passive skill similar to 'Soul Absorption,'" Kyomu thought wishfully, but whether luck would be on his side next time was another matter.

Turning his head, Kyomu pushed aside thoughts of refreshing his passive skill.

He was different now, from when he first acquired the passive skill "King of Nonchalance." Since then, he had refreshed a total of 51 passive skills. 

Despite some being good and some bad, the sheer quantity and variety helped Kyomu steadily strengthen his foundation, even if he had them only once each month.

Especially with this month's passive skill "Devil's Contract," which gave Kyomu access to the Scorch Release Bloodline Limit.

Although Scorch Release wasn't the best Bloodline Limit, being able to go from nothing to having something was a significant improvement.

As long as the newly refreshed passive skill didn't backfire him it was acceptable.

Looking up at the stage, watching Hiruzen speak, Kyomu regarded his words as background noise.

Everyone present, listening to Hiruzen's speech, was no ordinary civilian. Moreover, none of the ninja present had a lower strength than a Chunin.

It was a classic scene of pre-war mobilization.

Looking around, all he could see were densely packed heads. Roughly estimating, there were around three thousand people in total.

This was the core backbone of Konoha Hidden Leaf Village, representing its entire strength.

As for the three to four times more Genin ranks, they were considered cannon fodder and reserves for the core forces.

To be honest, while Genin had some use in ordinary C-rank or even B-rank missions, when placed on a real battlefield...

A large-scale B-rank ninjutsu could easily take out three to five Genin at random, or even more.

Consumables, that's the role of Genin in war.

"But with so few people..." Kyomu muttered to himself, "Facing the joint siege of the four major hidden villages, it seems a bit inadequate."

In Konoha, a typical ninja team consisted of one Chunin leading three Genin. This was a squad.

And every four squads formed a team, led by a special Jonin or a Jonin, totaling seventeen people, 

Further ahead were larger units, composed of four teams, totaling seventy people, with a team leader and a deputy team leader, most of whom were Jonin, with very few being ANBU.

Finally, these ninja units would either mix together to form ninja corps or move separately to different battlefields.

"Aragami Kyomu."

Lost in thought, Kyomu heard someone calling his name and instinctively responded with a "Here."

"This is your appointment letter, as well as the list of members under your command."

Walking up to the platform, taking the appointment letter and a paper file handed over by a civilian ninja, Kyomu's expression froze slightly.

Was he being promoted?

Indeed, war was the fastest way to advance, without a doubt.

Taking the appointment letter and stepping down from the platform, Kyomu lowered his head to take a look, immediately knowing who his immediate superior was.

Hyuga Hizashi.

"It seems that the ninja squad I'm in charge of is an elite assault squad, otherwise the leader's lineup wouldn't be so luxurious."

Having a member of the Hyuga clan in the team made it luxurious?

Indeed, it was.

The Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, unlike the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan that focused entirely on offense, was slightly stronger with auxiliary abilities.

Especially in war, the advantage of the Byakugan was unlimited, with its terrifying detection range extending to eight kilometers, effectively serving as a living radar.

As long as there was a member of the Hyuga clan in the team, it was generally an assault or infiltration team; otherwise, the true utility of the living radar couldn't be fully realized.

Closing the appointment letter, Kyomu's thoughts wandered, while discreetly observing his surroundings, trying to find Hizashi's whereabouts.

The Hyuga clan was easy to recognize, especially the branch family members, who could be identified at a glance.

In addition to the Byakugan, the neatly worn forehead protector on their foreheads was also a standard accessory for Hyuga branch family members.

With sharp eyes, Kyomu found Hizashi in the front left position.

However, without immediately approaching, Kyomu waited quietly until all the appointments were made before leaving the team and finding Hizashi.

"Captain Hizashi reporting for duty," Kyomu said formally, while Hizashi looked him up and down, growing more satisfied as he looked.

"The leader of Konoha's Twin Geniuses, Instant Shadow, Aragami Kyomu, looks it lives up to his reputation. Truly outstanding, and from what it looks like quite strong too."

Hizashi patted Kyomu's shoulder, his Byakugan gleaming with appreciation.

The Byakugan could see the human body's acupoints and meridians, as well as the flow of chakra within the body, allowing for a rough estimation of a person's chakra level.

Obviously, in Hizashi's eyes, the chakra in Kyomu's body was as vast as a river, definitely top-notch among ninjas of the same level.

Although the amount of chakra didn't necessarily represent a person's strength, the stronger the ninja, the more chakra they would have.

Kyomu politely smiled, "Thank you for your praise, Captain. Compared to you, my reputation is indeed not worth mentioning."

Without further ado, Hizashi didn't beat around the bush with Kyomu, "Anyway, the situation is urgent now, and everything needs to be done quickly.

Kyomu, as the leader of Squad Four, I order you to bring your squad members here to assemble in one hour."

"Yes!"

Kyomu responded and turned to leave. Soon, Hizashi found the four squad leaders he had been appointed and gave them the same orders.

Without lingering, Kyomu left the assembly point, quickly heading towards Training Ground Seventeen.

Guy, Genma, Ebisu, and others, who were also squad leaders, were already there, preparing to embark on a mission.

However, the war hadn't started yet, and they were only on standby.

Kyomu exchanged glances with the other three squad leaders, briefly getting to know each other, before Hizashi disbanded them for the day.

Currently, it was just a preliminary mobilization and personnel appointments. The exact timing of when the military would deploy depended on Hiruzen.

After the team dispersed, Kyomu met up with Kakashi and others to discuss the situation.

Minato was now a Jonin, as Hiruzen intended to train a new generation of ninja leaders. Minato was appointed as the captain of a large squad, with a Hyuga branch family member as the deputy captain.

Obviously, the squad led by Minato was also an assault and infiltration type of ninja team.

After a brief exchange with Kakashi and leaving contact information, they bid farewell to each other.

Returning to his own house, Kyomu lay back in his rocking chair, gazing at the moon in the sky, patiently awaiting the refreshment of his passive skill.

As soon as midnight struck, the passive skill refreshed right on time.

[Passive Skill: Strength in Adversity]

[Skill Description: Upon activation, gain a long-lasting combat buff, and all physical attributes will be comprehensively enhanced based on the duration of the battle, with no upper limit.

Note: This passive skill feature can only be triggered during combat. After the battle ends, the long-lasting combat buff resets to zero and recalculates for the next battle.]

[Skill Duration: 30 days]

[Message: Those who can't kill me will only make me stronger.]

Taking a deep breath, Kyomu felt considerably relieved.

"Although it's not a passive skill for auxiliary training, for my current situation, this kind of combat-assistive passive skill is undoubtedly the best solution.

I got lucky this time."

Kyomu rocked his chair twice, closed his eyes, and slowly drifted into slumber.

The next morning.

Kyomu arrived at the designated location that was set yesterday, where all sixteen members under his command had already gathered.

That's right, sixteen people. Yesterday, when he went to gather people, Kyomu had no trouble at all, after all, the name of Might Duy, the perennial Genin of Konoha, was known to almost everyone.

During wartime, having a powerful teammate by one's side increased the chances of survival by ten percent. Everyone preferred to team up with strong individuals rather than being burdened by weaker ones.

And so, Duy naturally became a target for those considered weak.

Similarly, the Uchiha, usually despised by everyone, had become a hot commodity.

Although the Uchiha's temper was foul and they weren't the best at getting along, as long as they were strong, they were fine with it. Following them made survival easier and achievements more likely.

As such, under the shadow of war, the residents of Konoha had rarely shown such solidarity, cooperating with each other without reservation.

"Let me explain briefly," Kyomu cleared his throat. "If nothing unexpected happens, war is imminent. The only uncertainty is whether it will come tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or a month later.

Regardless, we will be going to the battlefield when the time comes, and encountering danger is inevitable.

So today, I only emphasize one thing: get to know and trust every teammate around you. When we're on the battlefield, they'll be the only ones you can rely on.

If any of you engage in treachery or sabotage on the battlefield, the blade in my hand will not hesitate."

He patted Yōei at his waist, loudly shouting, "Understood?"

"Understood!"

"Very well." Kyomu nodded, "There's one more thing I want to mention to everyone.

Yesterday, when we gathered, you all saw our squad leader, Hyuga Hizashi. So you might have guessed.

That's right, we're an elite ninja squad, tasked mainly with assault and infiltration missions, facing enemies several times or even ten times our number.

It's dangerous, but we'll have many more opportunities to achieve merit than other ninja teams.

I've told you the advantages and disadvantages. Now, I'll ask one last question: Is anyone afraid and wants to quit?"

Silence fell over the scene.

Kyomu waited for a while, nodded satisfactorily, and then waved his hand, "Since that's the case, let's establish some rules.

Some of you are in your teens, some in your twenties, and some in your thirties, while I'm only nine years old.

You may not like it, and I have no need to prove myself to you.

But once insubordination or similar situations arise on the battlefield, I will show you why I'm the squad leader.

But by then, it'll be too late. I will not hesitate to cut your throat.

Understood?"

"Understood!"

With a burst of murderous intent, Kyomu's speech ended. He paused for a moment, then waved his hand, "As fellow ninjas, I believe you all know what war supplies you need to prepare. I won't say more.

But if anyone is short on supplies, feel free to come to me. I may not have everything, but I have enough kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, and ninja blades.

Alright, disband."

After briefly rallying the team, Kyomu disbanded them. All preparations were complete, only waiting for the arrival of war!

The blade that had been honed for so long was finally about to be put to full use.

(End of Chapter)