Naruto: Being a Shinobi with no System But...

A transmigrator reborn as Damien McGonagall—the nephew of Minerva McGonagall.

Growing up beside the Marauders, Lily and Snape.

Watch as Damien becomes the de-facto leader of the group and has adventures with his friends.

Check out Harry potter : The Rogue McGonagall, my new HP fanfic.

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Ever since the Sky Ninja reappeared, the Hidden Cloud Village—built into the mountains and using the continuous ranges as a defensive barrier—had begun treating the matter with urgency.

Each of the other villages already had partial answers. Iwagakure possessed other methods of flight; while Ōnoki lived, they had little cause to worry about air threats. Sunagakure’s sand manipulation and powerful wind release could handle normal flying units. The Hidden Mist, isolated overseas, could blanket the battlefield with its large-scale Hiding in Mist technique and erase vision entirely. Konoha, having come face-to-face with the Sky Ninja, had almost certainly put countermeasure development on its agenda as well.

A would not ignore a problem like this.

So when Sunagakure was beaten and left vulnerable, Kumogakure was the first to step in—outwardly offering an ”invitation to participate in the Joint Combat Exercise,” while covertly tailing the Sunagakure fleet across the sea to try and intercept and analyze the Sky Ninja’s core technology.

But directly acquiring that technology proved difficult. Kumogakure had to push on several fronts at once: shoring up anti-air defenses while developing the next-level flying wing technology.

”The Chakra Cannon project’s damage effectiveness against fixed targets and slow-moving units has reached the expected metrics,” Mabui reported, holding the file. ”Its effective range, according to measurements, is also sufficient to pose a substantial threat to most currently known high-altitude flying units. However, for high-mobility targets—especially units capable of instantaneous directional changes in the air—the existing tracking and locking capabilities still struggle to guarantee an effective hit rate. Based on the latest displayed flight speed and tactical maneuverability of the Sunagakure Air Force, the interception capability of the current Chakra Cannon system is likely quite limited.”

”As for the flying wing technology, it has currently achieved short-distance gliding and stable low-altitude flight. However, whether it’s the duration of flight, altitude, speed, or load capacity, there is still a significant gap from the ideal tactical equipment capable of seizing and maintaining air superiority.”

A listened without lashing out; his impatience never turned into harsh criticism. He simply told R&D to keep pouring in resources.

He then led Mabui toward the conference room, where Samui and Dodai were already waiting.

”Lord Raikage.”

”The Joint Combat Exercise is confirmed for July. ”You will take the teams over first,” A said. ”The focus, though, is on another matter. When we brought Sunagakure in, we didn’t expect Roshi to manage to pull Iwagakure into the exercise as well. In the original alliance, only Kumogakure and Konoha had the capacity to host. The alternating-host model we agreed on will probably change after this year’s exercise—especially now that the Hidden Mist has gotten involved.”

He didn’t have to think hard about Ōnoki. When they negotiated, Iwagakure had been easy to deal with—asking only for a share of the ticket profits, likely as a favor. But once Konoha’s event wrapped up, that calculating old man would certainly press for different terms.

”Now that all five Great Shinobi Villages are part of this joint system,” A said quietly, ”the hosting issue will only grow more complicated. Konoha holds the most advantageous geographic position in the alliance—will they stick to the tacit agreement with us, or will they start courting other allies? Will they waver? These are questions that must be settled before we go.”

Therefore, he finished, ”The first thing you must do on this trip is confirm whether Konoha still intends to honor the agreement and what stance they’ll take next year when Ōnoki—that old man—makes demands about hosting rights. Will they support maintaining the status quo, or will they lean toward... reshuffling the deck?”

—

The covert operation against the police force branch collapsed before it really began. Several Uchiha who tried to slip into key facilities in the Venue District were caught on the spot by Anbu lying in ambush. It had started in silence and ended in silence.

None of that seemed to trouble Itachi—even though a number of Uchiha from the police force headquarters came by, stiff and formal, pressing him about his recent whereabouts and activities. They suspected, perhaps, that as an ANBU captain he had reported the clan’s internal affairs to the village. There was no need for suspicion. Itachi had already said what needed to be said, and during his leave Roshi had told him to put clan surveillance on hold.

Besides, it was no longer just him and Shisui watching things. Uchiha who had passed the Anbu screening and been promoted into other departments, those allowed to remain on duty in the Village, even members with clan at the Academy—the clan’s eyes were spread across the Village now. How many of them would back such a reckless, poorly timed action? Whether many or few, the village no longer depended on only the two of them for information.

The people who came for explanations left disgruntled. After that small disturbance among the Uchiha settled, Itachi returned to duty. He entered the Hokage building, made his way to the familiar office, announced himself, and pushed the door open.

Roshi’s voice carried before he did; he was talking with Tsunade. ”Kakashi was indeed reluctant at first, but he participated quite actively in the subsequent evaluations of the ’Flying Bird.’” ”Without any mission, the simple act of flying itself is a pretty good way to relax,” Roshi added.

Tsunade snorted. ”Did you seriously intend for Kakashi to relax right from the start? That’s truly thoughtful of you, ’Lord’ Roshi.” When she saw Itachi enter, she straightened from her more casual posture, regaining some of the Hokage’s dignity. ”How were the tutoring results for Izumi?” she asked.

”The phase of guidance has been completed according to the predetermined plan,” Roshi replied. ”Izumi’s shuriken-throwing technique and basic combat adaptability have improved. However, the final result she achieves in the competition still cannot be guaranteed.” Itachi answered cautiously and conservatively.

”For the Genin-level competition, it’s enough if a few outstanding individuals emerge,” Roshi interjected. ”At the Chunin level, maintaining the usual standard is sufficient. Besides, the focus of this year’s Joint Combat Exercise was never really on this—the smooth execution of the event is the primary goal. The true challenges come after the event concludes successfully.”

With so many participants, the scale was breathtaking—it could just as well be billed a ”Ninja World Joint Combat Exercise” or ”Ninja World Joint Chūnin Exam.”

But such bright things never lasted.

While Rasa remained stationed in the Land of Rivers, the Hidden Cloud Village had kept a cautious silence and proven its loyalty as an ally, making them the party now requiring the most delicate handling. Certain issues had been left untouched at the start of the year, specifically to see how the Hidden Mist would respond. No one expected the mist to simply stand aside; the only question was timing—whether they would act before the event or after it. Their involvement was now taken for granted. What had to happen would happen.

As predicted, Kumogakure’s team arrived earlier than in previous years and moved with an unfamiliar swiftness. The first thing they saw in the stadium district was a police force branch at the entrance; its emblem had changed. Police Force members—conspicuously not Uchiha—escorted them toward the inn reserved for Kumogakure.

The inn’s interior had been improved again since last year; Konoha had gone through another round of renovations and looked, if anything, more meticulous. Those small comforts only deepened Dodai’s sense of foreboding. The new emblem suggested Konoha’s internal problems had long been smoothed over, and the special treatment now felt less like courtesy and more like compensation.

After a brief settling-in at the inn, Samui stepped out alone through the main gate. She glanced at the figure leaning against the wall nearby but didn’t pause; she walked straight toward him. Roshi had apparently been waiting a while. He straightened when she emerged, and they moved together into the deeper part of the stadium district.

When they passed an ice cream stall shaded by a colorful parasol, Roshi stopped. ”Wait a moment.” He bought a double-stick popsicle, tore the wrapper, and held the two ice bars between the two wooden sticks. He turned toward the blonde kunoichi beside him. ”Do you mind?”

”It’s fine,” she said.

With a small click he snapped off the top bar and handed it over. Samui bit a small piece; the cool sweetness and tiny shards of ice dissolved quickly on her tongue.

”Roshi,” she said after a moment, ”does this level of attentiveness indicate that what you plan to say next will be unsatisfactory?”

”Samui,” Roshi replied, taking a bite of his own popsicle and squinting against the cold, ”this is merely sharing a sweetness that belongs to early summer, nothing more.”

They walked on through the crowd and entered the competition stadium. The vast circular arena lay empty; their footsteps echoed in the deserted corridors of the grandstand. They found seats in the vacant rows and looked down across the open floor.

Samui chewed slowly and turned her head to study the man beside her. He sat quietly, facing the empty arena with an unfocused gaze—the same as every meeting before. Was he weighing matters between their villages, or was his mind elsewhere? Was this a private exchange meant to soften the way before official negotiations or simply a personal meeting between them?

She did not ask. Like Roshi, she sat in silence and watched the emptiness below. She did not break the brief stillness, even though she knew that calm would not last.

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