"What!?"
The two Danzos were prepared to unleash their slashes, convinced that Xu Ming had no way to counter them.
"Iron Body!"
Xu Ming let out a low growl, shouting words that carried an unknown meaning.
A faint metallic sheen appeared on the surface of his extra hands, and he caught the two incoming blades with his bare palms.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sharp edges met his hands, producing a sound akin to metal grinding against teeth.
The two Danzos attempted to retract their blades, only to find them completely immobile, as if clamped by iron vises.
Boom!
At that moment, the Danzo above was struck by the Giant Rasengan. His body vanished into a puff of smoke, revealing him to be a clone.
"What kind of technique is this?!"
The remaining two Danzos immediately let go of their swords and retreated, their eyes fixed in shock on the two hands emerging from Xu Ming's back.
Gulp—
Suddenly, the muscles on Xu Ming's back writhed and expanded. A new figure sprouted from his body—a man with golden hair, golden eyes, and a wagging tail at his tailbone.
"What the hell!?"
Both Danzos were horrified. They had never witnessed anything like this before. How could someone physically grow another person?
"Hmph! Vitality Bomb!"
The newly emerged figure casually tossed aside the two stolen swords before raising his hands high.
Chakra gathered in his palms, forming a radiant, pulsating sphere of energy.
"Isn't that just Rasengan?" One of the Danzos, seemingly the real one, commented dryly.
"No! This is the Vitality Bomb!"
The golden-haired figure responded with a solemn expression, focusing on the enormous chakra sphere in his hands.
In the next moment, Wind Style chakra was infused into the orb.
Immediately, the chakra sphere trembled violently, buzzing with intensity. It seemed as though countless invisible blades were grinding against each other within it, producing a shrill, cutting sound.
The sheer sharpness of its power carved fine, intricate lines into the surrounding ground.
"Go! Vitality Bomb!" (Wind Style: Rasenshuriken)
The golden-haired figure thrust the massive sphere forward, launching it at the two Danzos at breakneck speed.
Boom!
As soon as the technique was unleashed, the golden-haired figure dissipated into a puff of smoke.
"A Shadow Clone Technique?"
The two Danzos sighed in relief.
Although the way the clone had emerged from Xu Ming's body was bizarre, at least it was still comprehensible. They had feared Xu Ming had developed some otherworldly, incomprehensible jutsu.
As for his appearance? That could easily be explained by layering a Transformation Technique over a Shadow Clone.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
Without hesitation, the two Danzos formed hand seals and launched highly compressed air bullets from their mouths.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
A barrage of wind bullets struck the Vitality Bomb, forcing it upwards into the sky.
BOOM!
The chakra sphere finally reached its limit and erupted, releasing its full destructive potential.
Zing! Zing! Zing!
From the explosion, countless razor-thin blades of wind radiated in all directions, cutting through the air with terrifying speed.
Within seconds, thousands of slashes filled the sky.
Nearby rocks caught in the attack were instantly reduced to fine dust.
Gulp—
On the ground, the two Danzos gulped nervously.
Even though they had expected the technique to be powerful, they had not anticipated this level of devastation.
Buzz... Buzz...
The technique's aftereffects persisted for several more seconds before finally dissipating.
Poof!
One of the remaining Danzos vanished into smoke, revealing himself to be another clone.
The real Danzo wiped the sweat from his brow and removed his mask, exhaling shakily.
"Xu Ming... are you trying to kill me, kid?!"
"Hahaha, it was just a joke," Xu Ming scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Besides, I held back. With your level of skill, there's no way you'd get hit, right?"
"That may be true, but facing such a terrifying jutsu, I might have nightmares tonight."
Hatake Sakumo approached, still staring at the dissipating remnants of Wind Style chakra in the sky with lingering fear.
"Are you okay...?" Xu Ming asked awkwardly.
The Wind Style: Rasenshuriken was indeed powerful, but having seen so many large-scale jutsus in Shippuden—Super Shinra Tensei, Tailed Beast Bombs, Tengai Shinsei, and the Side Tomb of the Rinnegan—it didn't feel as overwhelming to him.
"This jutsu of yours... is a Wind Style-enhanced Rasengan, correct?" Danzo wiped the last of his sweat away and asked.
"Yes, it's called Wind Style: Rasenshuriken," Xu Ming confirmed.
"Good name, incredible power. Even a tailed beast would be severely injured if hit directly," Danzo praised.
"Indeed, it's a formidable weapon on the battlefield," Hatake Sakumo added with admiration. "Xu Ming, you alone are equivalent to an entire squadron."
"Senior, you flatter me." Xu Ming smiled humbly.
Hatake Sakumo shook his head, saying nothing more.
In truth, his words were an understatement. With his level of mobility and devastating ninjutsu, Xu Ming was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield—similar to the Second and Third Tsuchikage, who wielded the near-unbeatable Bloodline Elimination: Dust Release. Wherever they appeared, the enemy forces would be annihilated within minutes.
But this was not an era of war, and Xu Ming was still young.
Hatake Sakumo chose to remain silent on the subject.
"Originally, I had planned for Sakumo to disguise himself as a rogue ninja and give you an assessment equivalent to a B-rank mission. However, I clearly underestimated your strength," Danzo admitted.
"With your level of chakra and jutsu mastery, you could graduate directly and become a Jonin."
"That's good. The stronger you are, the more peace of mind Hiruzen and I will have."
"You are destined to become a great ninja of this world."
Danzo's words left Xu Ming puzzled.
Although the political landscape wasn't as complex as it would become in later generations, he was still just a ten-year-old boy. Displaying such immense strength and skill, and yet Danzo and the others simply expressed admiration?
"No need to be surprised," Danzo said, noticing Xu Ming's confusion. "Hiruzen and I have always measured you and Orochimaru by the same standards as our Second Hokage teacher."
After a brief pause, he continued:
"But now... I believe it's time to change that perspective—to look at you using the standards of the First Hokage."
Xu Ming's eyes widened in shock.
Was Konoha placing such high expectations on him?