Maintaining the same posture for an extended time is exhausting. Naruto had been bent over the table drawing for two hours straight. His wrist felt so weak it could barely hold the brush, and his back ached, making him groan. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to finish the final stroke, then carefully placed the brush back on its stand. Jumping down from the stool he'd been standing on, Naruto immediately sprawled out flat on the deck in a starfish-like position.
"So tired! But so comfortable!"
Naruto stretched out his arms, and his bones crackled in response.
He gazed up at the sky, his blue eyes reflecting the drifting clouds. His mood was just as peaceful as the clouds overhead. Although Brother Sougen had not agreed to take him on as a disciple, he did promise to teach Naruto a powerful new ninjutsu.
Then—
He started learning how to draw.
"Not bad! Naruto, you might actually have a talent for creating art!"
Sougen walked over, bending down to examine Naruto's drawing on the table. It wasn't a complex landscape, just a simple sketch of a bird and a snake, but Naruto had a clear knack for capturing the essence of his subjects. The bird and the snake on the paper were already quite lifelike.
This meant—
Naruto only needed to master the application of Yang Release chakra, and he would have essentially learned the basics of the secret art Super Beast Imitating Drawing.
Sougen had considered what to teach Naruto. Genjutsu was ruled out first; the Uchiha clan's genjutsu relied too heavily on the Sharingan, making it impossible for others to learn. The basic five elemental jutsu were the second option discarded. Simple ninjutsu wouldn't be enough, and complex ones would be too difficult for Naruto at his current level.
In the end,
He chose Super Beast Imitating Drawing over sealing techniques.
The reason for ruling out sealing techniques, which would have been more suitable for Naruto's Uzumaki bloodline, was simple: Sougen didn't know enough of them. Sealing techniques are vast and complex. Teaching basic ones would feel like shortchanging Naruto, and advanced techniques were beyond Sougen's mastery.
By comparison, Super Beast Imitating Drawing, a Yang Release technique, combined multiple functionalities—scouting, combat, flight, and sealing—and might even help Naruto explore the power of Yang Release.
After much consideration, Naruto began learning to draw under Sougen's guidance.
To say "guidance"—
Sougen mainly let Naruto practice on his own. His own drawing skills came from copying with the Sharingan, which meant that while his drawings had form, they lacked spirit. Fortunately, the Super Beast Imitating Drawing technique didn't require both form and spirit.
As long as it resembled the subject, that was enough.
So, Sougen wasn't too worried about his mediocre skills leading Naruto astray. The goal from the start was simply for Naruto to "draw something that looks right."
However, Sougen noticed that Naruto seemed to have real artistic talent.
Not only did he achieve likeness, but he was also reaching toward a higher level of expression.
"Hehe! Really?"
Naruto jumped to his feet in excitement, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. His face beamed with a bright, slightly goofy smile that was as radiant as the sun.
"Very good! Very good indeed! Naruto, this technique seems to suit you even better than I expected!" Sougen didn't hold back his praise. Memories from his past life stirred in his mind—he vaguely recalled that in the original history, Naruto had once helped Jiraiya with ghostwriting while training with him, and the book had sold like hotcakes!
He wasn't sure if that was due to Jiraiya's fame…
Or if Naruto's writing skills were just that convincing.
Shaking off those irrelevant thoughts, Sougen patted Naruto's head, "Keep it up. Once you can draw ten different animals in under a minute, we'll move on to the next phase of training." The Super Beast Imitating Drawing technique only required the drawings to resemble their subjects.
As for the time limit—
That was Sougen's addition.
This was, after all, a combat technique for use in battle. The speed at which the drawings were made was crucial, just like how quickly a regular ninja could form hand signs. The faster you could draw, the quicker you could strike. If you were slow, you'd be at a disadvantage.
"I'll do my best, Brother Sougen."
Naruto puffed out his chest, full of confidence.
He'd noticed it himself—drawing wasn't as difficult as he thought. Drawing ten animals seemed easy. The only real challenge was meeting the one-minute time limit.
"Master."
"Yakumo? Come over and take a look. This is what Naruto drew. How is it? Pretty good, right?"
Sougen waved over his other disciple, Yakumo, pointing to Naruto's drawing. "By the way, Yakumo, you also like to draw, though not with ink like this." Indeed, Yakumo loved drawing too, but she specialized in oil painting.
"It's good! Not only does it look like the real thing, but it also has more spirit than what you've drawn, Master."
Sougen didn't know whether the concept of beauty was the same between ink painting and oil painting, but he could tell Yakumo was in a bad mood. She rarely teased him, but her puffed-up cheeks made it obvious something was bothering her.
"Haha! What's this? You're getting jealous now?"
Sougen chuckled softly, rubbing the top of her head. "It's not that I don't want to teach you Super Beast Imitating Drawing. It just doesn't suit you. Besides, you don't need it. The most important thing for you is to strengthen your body and tap into your innate talent. You're going to be an incredibly strong shinobi one day."
There were always a few in the world who were particularly favored by the heavens.
Yakumo Kurama was one of them.
Her vast mental energy was something even the Uchiha, with their Six Paths bloodline, found hard to match. Sougen himself had only been able to seal and suppress that overwhelming energy after unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan. The sheer scale of it was putting immense strain on her body.
If she could just overcome the limitations of her physical vessel, Yakumo would have no trouble securing a place among the most powerful in the ninja world.
"Alright! Go pack up your things. Naruto, you too. Get your stuff together; we're going ashore soon."
In the distance,
A dark silhouette gradually emerged where the sea met the sky.
The Land of Water was a nation of islands, isolated from the mainland and made up of over a hundred isles. The largest island was referred to as the "main island," though its actual name was Kirigakure Island. Both the Land of Water's daimyo palace and the Hidden Mist Village were located on this island.
On the western coast of Kirigakure Island—
The largest port.
The army of the Hidden Mist Village and the delegation from the Hidden Leaf Village had arrived here today. The Mist-nin had already sealed off the port, enforcing the highest level of security as they awaited the return of the Mizukage and the Leaf delegation. However, there was no welcome ceremony—after all, they were returning from defeat.
"Kirigakure Island… The name really fits!"
Uchiha Akitaro eagerly jumped down from the gangplank, planting his feet on solid ground. He glanced around, marveling at the thick white mist surrounding him, making everything feel dreamlike. He waved his hand, scattering the fog slightly, but it quickly reformed.
This kind of naturally occurring mist wasn't something that could be easily dispelled.
"Fujika, don't wander off. If you get lost in this, you might never find your way back. Yakumo, Naruto, you two stay close as well. This oppressive environment really kills the mood." Sougen stepped off the ship, looking back at his group and giving them a warning.
It was his first time in the Land of Water, too.
Although he had studied the place before their arrival and learned that the island was perpetually shrouded in mist, he hadn't fully appreciated what that meant until seeing it firsthand. Even typhoons could only temporarily push back the mist near the coast. The dense fog inland never cleared.
Seeing it in person, he realized some things just couldn't be fully understood through words alone.
In this kind of weather,
It was like walking through a natural Hiding in Mist Jutsu. There was no room for carelessness in this land.
"Mizukage-sama, welcome back."
At that moment,
A Mist-nin stepped forward to greet them.
He appeared to be in his forties, a seasoned Mist-nin with a forehead protector and the standard uniform of the village's Jonin. His weathered face revealed little emotion. Though he spoke words of welcome, his tone didn't convey any real warmth.
"Ah, it's you, Megurome."
Yagura didn't seem bothered by the lack of respect.
He had expected this kind of reception. After all, Megurome wasn't one of his supporters. Like Ao, Biwa, and Kenbei, Megurome had been groomed by the previous Mizukage. "How is the Elder? Is his health still holding up?" Yagura asked.
"Lord Mizukage, rest assured, Master Gen's health is still strong!"
Meiguro responded stiffly to Yagura Karatachi's question.
Standing off to the side, Sōgen watched with amusement. It seemed that Yagura, the Mizukage, was truly at the end of his line. But... even if the Mist shinobi were willing to continue acknowledging the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura couldn't hold the position much longer. He didn't have much time left!
Suddenly,
Sōgen's brow furrowed.
Moving swiftly, he drew the Ember Fan from his back, infused it with chakra, and swung it sharply. A fierce wind howled, blowing away the kunai with explosive tags attached that had been thrown from the mist.
The sound of explosions echoed, and the bright, searing flames dispelled the dense fog nearby, revealing the attackers.
They were a group of Mist shinobi, the ones responsible for securing the port, "Kill Yagura! He's a disgrace to the village! We don't need such a worthless Mizukage!"
The leading Mist shinobi shouted loudly, and behind him—
Followers gathered.
The next moment, a barrage of shuriken, kunai, explosive tags, flash bombs, and smoke bombs rained down like a storm—everything that could be thrown was thrown. The target was none other than the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. However, with over a hundred Mist shinobi attacking at once, the dense wave of attacks unfortunately engulfed everyone around Yagura as well.
This included Sōgen, Meiguro, and his subordinates—all within the attack range.