Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand, pressing down the tide of whispers. "Jiraiya has always acted with a certain... whimsy.
However, the situation in the Land of Rain remains volatile, and we need soone to keep a close watch."
"As for Jiraiya, since he is unwilling to return, he shall remain abroad to gather intelligence. Orochimaru, send word to him: he is to assist Shima Shirakumo in locating the missing-nin."
The room fell silent once more.
The Hokage's words were a classic political maneuver. On the surface, he was assigning a mission; in reality, everyone understood he was providing an official cover for his student's eccentric behavior, framing it as a strategic necessity.
Since the Hokage had given his endorsent, no one dared to voice further opposition.
Just as the eting seed ready to pivot to other logistics, a veteran Jonin suddenly spoke up. "Lord Hokage, the war has ended, and the village is entering a new era. Regarding the... selection of the Fourth Hokage, have you given it thought? Konoha's future requires a young leader to guide us."
The topic was so sensitive that the chamber beca vacuum-sealed in silence. Every gaze, whether blatant or subtle, locked onto Hiruzen.
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe in silence, the rising smoke veiling his expression. He glanced toward his old friend sitting nearby; that Jonin was likely one of his own n. Alas, I wonder how much that single question cost in political capital.
After a long pause, he spoke. "I do feel that my energy is not what it once was. Entrusting Konoha to a younger, more vibrant leader is only natural."
"However—" Hiruzen's tone shifted. "The war has ended, but the tremors remain. Konoha, and indeed the Land of Fire, are in a critical period of adjustnt.
sudden change in leadership at this mont could destabilize the entire system. My opinion is that this matter be deferred. We shall discuss it again once the situation is more stable."
It was a masterstroke. He signaled his intent to eventually step down, provided a legitimate reason for the delay, and sent a clear ssage to the world: the seat of the Hokage would soon be open.
During this transition, whoever proved most capable of carrying Konoha's future would hold the advantage.
The eting ended in a subtle, charged atmosphere. Danzo Shimura was the first to rise and exit without a word.
The other Jonin, anwhile, were already shifting their gazes toward the high-achieving officers of the war. Chief among them, in terms of both seniority and prestige, was the "White Fang of the Leaf"—Sakumo Hatake.
Shadows in the Small Nations
anwhile, in the distant Lands of Earth and Lightning, the high commands of Iwagakure and Kumogakure received nearly identical ergency reports.
The reconnaissance teams sent into the Land of Waterfalls to probe its internal state had vanished without a trace
Even the deep-cover intelligence officers disguised as tourists had disappeared. Paradoxically, those who entered openly under the banner of their respective villages were treated as normal guests and remained unhard.
"Takigakure again... there is definitely sothing wrong with these reports."
Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, looked at the string of losses with growing unease. He had a premonition that Takigakure was becoming the next Agakure—a hidden power rising in the cracks between giants.
"Continue the infiltration. Use more discreet thods. We must know what is happening there!"
The situation was much the sa in Kumogakure, though expressed with far more violence; the Raikage's office had already gone through several desks this week.
Deep Within the Underground Palace
Shisui Abura cared little for the political machinations of the outside world—or rather, he had already anticipated them. Certain historical beats were inevitable.
In his laboratory, he opened a notebook, ticulously recording the number of failed experints. Beside it lay a scroll containing the sensory records of generations of Takigakure ninja who had consud the Hero's Water before their deaths.
After extensive study, Shisui had demystified the "miracle." It was essentially a crude, volatile extract of Natural Energy.
The Great Tree condensed a mixture of natural energy and chakra. It wasn't quite Senjutsu chakra, but it was far from pure chakra either.
The sudden surge in the user's reserves ca from natural energy, but the resulting output was purely destructive chakra.
Furthermore, the Hero's Water heavily taxed the user's life force; a small vial wasn't enough to trade for that much power without burning the candle at both ends.
People died because their bodies and tenketsu could not withstand the violent, untad nature of the mixture.
Theoretically, if a body could withstand the surge, repair its own ridians, and replenish the drained life force, this water would be the easiest shortcut to mastering natural energy. However, Shisui had yet to determine the exact physical threshold required.
His temporary solution was to dilute the substance into a small pond, locked behind sealing jutsu to prevent the natural energy from dissipating, using it as a high-grade nutrient source for his insects.
In another wing of the lab, a massive cauldron stood under heavy seals. A tiny breach had been opened in the seal, beneath which sward thousands of insects—Shisui's recent "failures."
Following the principle of zero waste, he was seeing if any could adapt to the environnt.
The Seven-Tails' (Choi) chakra possessed strong insectoid traits: scale-powder toxicity and flight capabilities. More importantly, its chakra had a unique vitality and "fusion" quality.
Tailed Beast chakra is inherently higher-tier and more violent than standard chakra. Even with the relatively docile Choi, 99.9% of the insects died instantly.
Only a few could survive a single day, let alone reproduce. However, one specific aquatic insect was slowly absorbing and incubating the energy.
The Shrine Entrance
Above the palace, at the entrance to the Togo Shrine, Naoto appeared before Shisui's insect clone with three ninjas: a middle-aged man, a youth, and a boy.
Shisui sensed the new insect strains implanted within them. Their physical stats approached Jonin levels, though their chakra reserves varied between Mid-to-High Chunin.
"The place you are going is the Land of Snow to the north," Shisui's clone commanded. "Your mission is to survive, gain a foothold, and establish identities."
"Rember: from this day forward, you are not my n. You are not Takigakure ninjas. You are wandering shinobi, rchants, or refugees. Your past is a blank slate; your future is yours to write. In six months, I will send word. Only then will we discuss the next step."
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