Chapter 890 : A Change in Mentality!

Fujin turned his gaze towards Sayaka, 'Takeshi's skills might be most similar to mine, but Sayaka is the one who follows my attacking style, though she is more overbearing and aggressive than I usually am. Her attacks are precise and relentless and she's the one who's applying the most pressure on Hoka. If he missteps once, he'll be hurt badly.

However, her over-aggression also leaves her vulnerable to counterattack. Luckily, others are covering her openings, not letting Hoka exploit any of them. Of course, the reason why she's fighting in such manner is due to her teammates. She's also the best at Taijutsu among them. So, in a way, she's also shielding her teammates by forcing Hoka to concentrate on her.

By comparison, Yuji's fighting style is more relaxed. Hoka can't target him easily. Yet, Yuji still gives him the most headaches. His Lightning attacks are very fast. That itself wouldn't be a challenge for a ninja like Hoka but due to his Storm Release, Yuji freely manipulates his lightning. That increases the difficulty of dodging them exponentially. To make matters worse, he is using the openings created by Takeshi and Sayaka to target Hoka.

Looks like Yuji is the most influenced by Naruto. His fighting style contains a certain playfulness, inspired by the countless pranks the two did.

He should grow quite strong if he continues on this path, but I could push him further than any of his teammates by teaching him the Lightning Chakra Mode. However, how can I do that?'

Fujin wasn't supposed to know any powerful Lightning jutsu, let alone possess the knowhow of something as incredible as the Lightning Chakra Mode. Even Konoha didn't possess the complete knowledge regarding it.

Fujin thought, 'So far, no one has connected me with Akuro due to the absence of any evidence. Only Danzo must have some suspicions, but he wouldn't consider the two of us being the same person even in his wildest dreams.

However, none of the ninjas at the top are fools. Shikaku is smarter than me while Hiruzen isn't far behind. If I wasn't a reincarnated person with a different set of ideals, goals and values, there's no way I could have fooled either of them or kept them in the dark about the shit I've done.

Danzo has become senile and deluded, but he can't be underestimated either. In the last year, I've implemented several schemes to lure him to target my house and investigate it when I'm not in the village. Yet, he hasn't taken the bait and has shown restraint. He's biding time to improve his and Root's strength and waiting for the perfect opportunity to make a comeback.

So, if I were to guide Yuji in something so advanced, their heads will turn towards me. Akuro plundering Kumogakure is well known now. So, they'll start connecting the dots. Of course, Akuro being a disguise of mine is impossible to conclude, but they'll speculate we have some sort of a connection or a partnership. That'll be annoying to deal with...'

Fujin fell into deep thought. While he wasn't necessarily afraid of trouble, especially considering he had gotten nearly everything he wanted from Konoha, there wasn't any particular gain in teaching Yuji the Lightning Chakra Mode. He'll gain a powerful, loyal subordinate, but the suspicions from others will more than offset this gain. Besides, it wasn't as if Fujin needed any powerful subordinates. Fujin was already a force to reckon with just by himself. Guiding the 5 kids was just a fun little side project to make his life and the world more entertaining.

Fujin continued watching the battle while wondering what to do. In the end, he decided, 'Ah, fuck it! I'm supposed to be a genius. If Yuji learns it, I'll just say I figured out the basics and Yuji was extremely talented to learn it baser on my vague guidance. As for the real story, I'll ask Yuji to keep it a secret.

Even if others call that story a bullshit, what can they do? Raid my house? Throw me out of the village based on mere suspicions? Hmph, the most that'll happen is my chances of becoming the Hokage will take a hit. However, since when did I want that seat?

I'm already strong enough to brush off any backlashes from my actions. Anything short of reviving Madara or Hashirama at their full strength or reviving the Ten Tails cannot threaten me much as long as I don't lower my guard. It's time to enjoy my life a little!'

Fujin finally reached a decision. A decision that would sooner or later cause headaches throughout the ninja world, tormenting several leaders.

Fujin turned his attention to his remaining two students, 'Hikari and Shoma... Compared to the other three, they're lacking slightly. Hikari doesn't lack in talent, but she's too gentle. A good personality but not the best one for a ninja. Her attacks lack the killing intent the others have.

As for Shoma, he's two years younger than Hikari, Yuji and Takeshi and three years younger than Sayaka. Even though they started training at the same time, his young age restricts his growth. He'll eventually catch up with the rest, but it'll take several years.

Still, it's a shame I can't teach much to Sayaka, Hikari and Shoma. Though they have affinity to wind, their talent in Wind Release isn't as good as Takeshi's. All three are good at Water and Ice Release, but I'm completely blank at both. I can only give them general guidance. I suppose I could ask Renjiro-sensei, but his Water Release, though good, isn't exceptional either.

Hmm, perhaps it's time for Akuro to pay Kirigakure a visit. Kumogakure have been a good host, but I'm sure they're tired of hosting me so frequently. Even though they never complain and are always enthusiastic, I shouldn't overstay my welcome. I'm sure Kirigakure will welcome me with open arms and several treasures. Eh?'

Fujin suddenly noticed something odd. His popcorn had gone cold! Fujin realized, 'I didn't notice this earlier. The temperature has dropped considerably. I see… The temperature dropped so gradually that I failed to notice it...'

Fujin observed the battlefield and finally noticed something odd, 'I see. Takeshi hasn't used a single Scorch or Fire jutsu until now. Yuji hasn't performed massive Lightning jutsus either after his first attack. By comparison, most of the attacks launched by the three Yuki kids are Ice Release. This is intentional. The question is, what is their goal here? How would lower temperatures help them?'

Needless to say, Fujin immediately considered Ice jutsus. The issue was that Fujin had never seen an ice jutsu that depended on lower temperatures. Fujin wondered, 'Does lower temperature increase the speed and strength of their Ice jutsus? That would theoretically make sense. Hoka's troubles are about to increase. Worse, he hasn't noticed it yet. That said, just this isn't enough to defeat him…’

As ninjas, both Fujin and Hoka could handle extreme temperatures. Under normal circumstances, both would have noticed the drop in temperature immediately. However, Hoka's entire attention was devoted to his opponents while Fujin was more focused on analyzing their skills. Since the temperature decreased gradually instead of suddenly, neither paid much attention to it.

Of course, even though the change was slow, Hoka eventually caught up on it. His Byakugan noticed every piece of ice in the training ground, and their number was terrifying!

Before he could understand what their plans were, a grin appeared on Sayaka's face. She thought, 'Of course we couldn't defeat you with this tactic. Though it counters you perfectly, we're just too weak compared to you. However, we figured you'll focus entirely on enduring our barrage until we run out of chakra. Unfortunately for you, our main counterattack begins now!'

Sayaka glanced at Shoma. Without the need of any words, Shoma weaved a few hand seals and pointed his right hand towards Hoka.
'Ice Release: Silent Winter jutsu'