Chapter 193: Fugaku: Congratulations, Lord Hokage, You Can Officially Claim the Title of "Sage"!
Humming an obscure melody dating back to the Warring States era, Kakuzu hauled his reinforced briefcase, navigating the familiar pathways of Konohagakure with relaxed ease.
Following his formal integration into Konoha's corporate structure, Kakuzu oversaw fiscal operations, though his operational portfolio was concentrated primarily on strategic auditing and authorization.
He functioned essentially as an independent, third-party oversight inspector.
In plain terms: he audited the books.
Consequently, Kakuzu had zero obligation to clock in for daily desk duty; his operational deliverables were scheduled on a quarterly basis.
His day-to-day routine adhered to his longstanding habits as an S-rank bounty hunter, roaming freely across the continental market as Konoha's premier "independent rapid-deployment asset."
Beyond that, he served as the chief economic consultant to Amegakure, assisting Hanzo in untangling modern banking architectures and municipal financing models, systematically welding the subsidiary village onto Konoha's armored juggernaut.
Yet while the modern Kakuzu still moonlighted in his traditional bounty extraction vertical, he no longer operated as an isolated rogue agent.
Under special executive authorization from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakuzu was equipped with the "Cardio-Pulse Transceiver"—a proprietary communications ninja tool compiled by Orochimaru. The terminal allowed him to ping nearby Konoha field units at will, routinely staging synchronized operations alongside Anbu and Root squads.
Danzo's personal ethics are utterly bankrupt, but his operational throughput is undeniably elite, Kakuzu reflected.
Back in his freelance days, what irritated him most was dealing with Danzo and his Root operatives. Those wretched scoundrels routinely commissioned high-risk black-ops contracts only to default on payment upon delivery; attempting to collect arrears often resulted in an ambush by Root kill-teams.
Their credit rating within the mercenary sector had been absolute toxic waste.
Now, however, the landscape had undergone a total corporate restructuring. Following Hiruzen's institutional reforms, Root disbursed contract fees with flawless fiscal discipline.
Most importantly, Kakuzu enjoyed unrestricted access to Danzo's vast intelligence network and kinetic fire support. Operating with the First Darkness of the Shinobi as a corporate backer was remarkably frictionless.
With a superpower backing the play, supply lines and intelligence overhead ceased to be personal liabilities. He simply located the high-value target and initiated liquidation protocols.
Even site-clearing and biological cleanup were managed by dedicated logistics units.
Still, we are strictly bound by the Will of Fire nowadays...
Kakuzu indulged in rare, quiet critique of Hiruzen Sarutobi's administrative doctrine: Yet there is no denying that this is precisely where the Hokage and this village derive their terrifying appeal. They enforce basic legal order and moral legitimacy even against enemy combatants.
Hiruzen firmly barred Konoha shinobi from launching unprovoked, predatory hunts against the personnel of rival hidden villages.
Given Konoha's current military yield, once that Pandora's box of unregulated aggression was opened, systemic scope-creep would inevitably set in, converting the village into an unhinged, predatory cartel akin to Kumogakure.
Compared to the long-term soft power projected by the Will of Fire, the crude short-term margins extracted through banditry were utterly negligible in the broader macroeconomic game.
Consequently, under the Hokage's tacit strategic clearance, Kakuzu, Root, and Anbu field assets deployed a sophisticated "bait-and-switch" protocol:
Dangle enticing operational bait, wait for hostile units to initiate kinetic aggression, and then execute absolute, unrestricted self-defense with overwhelming force.
This run yielded Kumogakure's Magnet Release genetic material. I wonder whether Sakumo or Fugaku possesses the biological compatibility to integrate it?
Those Cloud barbarians remain as aggressively territorial as ever. Yet they are far too brittle. Faced with the village's organizational weight and my centuries of combat data, their operational relevance is essentially zero.
Kakuzu rolled his shoulders lightly.
Across the bizarre collection of masks grafted into his upper back, two units stood out with blinding prominence.
They were fitted, respectively, with a fully activated Sharingan and a pristine Byakugan.
Indeed, these optical assets had been voluntarily requisitioned from the clan vaults of the Uchiha and the Hyuga, officially designated as high-value operational equipment for Kakuzu.
For an entity possessing Kakuzu's anomalous, modular anatomy, integrating external hardware carried negligible biological drag.
While he could not interface with them as effortlessly as Nagato's native multi-lineage baseline, Kakuzu cleverly routed the ocular pathways through individual Earth Grudge Fear puppets, eliminating cellular strain on his primary core while radically diversifying his combat telemetry.
It looked remarkably like a localized, budget deployment of the Six Paths puppets.
Remarkably, this high-tier transfer of sacred clan assets drew zero institutional resistance from the conservative factions within the Uchiha or Hyuga ranks.
Setting aside Kakuzu's official standing as an alternate member of the Konoha High Commission and a high-ranking confidant of the Hokage, the man was literally donating his own biological hardware to advance village welfare on an industrial scale.
The Earth Grudge Fear was categorized as a forbidden jutsu, yet mechanically, those black tendrils were living tissue harvested directly from Kakuzu's physical frame.
Konoha's trauma centers, prosthetic grafting clinics, internal organ reconstructions, and micro-cellular vascular repairs relied entirely on the deployment of these omnipotent, biological threads.
The man was surrendering his own physical blood vessels by the metric pound!
In the face of that level of public utility, what was the harm in the Uchiha and Hyuga providing two spare sets of eyes?
Faced with the staggering dividend yields unlocked through bilateral integration, Elder Isshin and Tenzo Hyuga had smoothly abandoned their ancient, reactionary rhetoric regarding "clan ocular purity remaining strictly off-limits to external bloodlines."
Establishing high-trust strategic alignment with Kakuzu simply yielded far too much operational ROI.
Kakuzu strode into the Hokage Administrative Building, exchanging curt, disciplined nods with the Anbu sentries flanking the perimeter.
Though the guards wore porcelain masks, Kakuzu's extensive field experience allowed him to de-anonymize the operatives instantly, parsing individual identities through microscopic nuances in posture, center of gravity, and chakra circulation.
Inside the Hokage's executive suite.
Hiruzen Sarutobi drew steadily on his pipe, listening with mild, analytical amusement as Fugaku delivered a passionate, high-volume presentation centered on a colossal stone monolith resting upon the floor.
Moments earlier, Hiruzen had been engaged in finalizing the terminal sequence of the Evil Sealing Method within his internal chakra network.
His personal cultivation of the Myriad Seals Body Integration Mark had reached an advanced developmental threshold: of the primary elemental transformations, his mastery over Water and Fire had achieved partial integration, their physical properties weaving smoothly into his biological hardware.
Earth, Wind, and Lightning remained pending.
Once the sealing formulas for those three remaining elemental affinities were compiled, following Ashina Uzumaki's original blueprint, the next phase entailed constructing a Four Symbols Seal framework within his internal core to serve as the four primary load-bearing pillars of his physical frame, unlocking another exponential leap in kinetic density.
When Hiruzen had initially reviewed Ashina's theoretical notes, he had laughed out loud.
Only an anomaly with his absurd baseline could drag a high-yield sealing matrix through biological pathways like a runaway freight train without blowing out his cellular circuits.
Yet the Hokage remained committed to executing the clinical trial.
However, Fugaku and Elder Isshin had abruptly interrupted his contemplation, marching into the executive suite with theatrical urgency—one hauling the ancestral Uchiha Stone Tablet over his shoulder, the other carrying a massive set of Warring States plate armor.
"Lord Hokage, observe this monument!"
"Following the aerial engagement, as Elder Isshin and I were overseeing reconstruction and seismic audits across the Uchiha residential quarter, this ancient tablet suddenly began projecting an intense prismatic radiance, accompanied by bizarre, high-frequency auditory anomalies!"
"We deployed sweeping perimeter sweeps across the sector, identifying zero external operational interference. When the newly decrypted inscriptions surfaced, they revealed themselves as an esoteric, divine body-refinement protocol passed down directly from the Sage of Six Paths!"
Fugaku announced with uninhibited corporate enthusiasm: "Lord Hokage, the text outlines a methodology to synthesize multiple Kekkei Genkai natures into a unified baseline, unlocking the supreme, omnipotent power of All Creation! While the algorithmic theory is entirely beyond my cognitive capacity, I am convinced that an executive of your caliber will achieve flawless mastery!"
"I extend my official congratulations to Lord Hokage—you are now fully cleared to assume the executive title of 'Sage'!"
Standing to the flank, Elder Isshin buried his face in his palm, unable to suppress a disciplinary kick directly to Fugaku's rear.
In Isshin's rigorous evaluation, Fugaku's psychological evolution had traversed three distinct, painful quadrants:
First, he had desperately attempted to posture as an elite, high-brow corporate intellectual, only to realize he lacked the diplomatic bandwidth. After multiple embarrassing missteps, he had made the radical pivot to becoming a pure, unadorned martial brute!
He had essentially abandoned complex cerebral processing, choosing instead to execute direct administrative directives and resolve all structural friction through kinetic, physical force.
Ever since Fugaku announced he would no longer read historical treatises, the clan head had settled into an extraordinary, unhinged psychological equilibrium:
Oscillating wildly between breezy executive detachment and absolute, unvarnished absurdity.
Hiruzen's cheek twitched faintly.
He held high tolerance for Fugaku's erratic linguistic presentations—they were dealing with an Uchiha, after all; periodic bouts of theatrical hysteria were standard operational behavior, confirming at least that the clan head wasn't suppressing dark, subterranean trauma.
Yet the structural narrative Fugaku was describing sounded uncomfortably familiar.
"Tell me..." Hiruzen could not resist dryly interjecting through a cloud of smoke, "when you two discovered this anomalous tablet, did you happen to hear a wild fox howling from the nearby woods, crying out: 'Konoha shall rise, the Hokage is King'?"
"We detected no such auditory phenomenon," Fugaku replied, blinking in earnest confusion. "However, executing that scenario is trivially easy. Shall I coordinate with Mr. Kurama to stage the performance? He is a fox, after all."
"Are you seeking to manufacture an auspicious divine omen, Lord Hokage? I comprehend the historical playbook. Back when I still reviewed literature, I recall feudal warlords routinely staged such fabrications to establish absolute moral legitimacy before executing a coup."
Hiruzen let out a wry, helpless chuckle.
Fine.
He had momentarily forgotten that Konoha literally retained a living, sentient divine fox on payroll. The geopolitical tropes had completely folded in on themselves.
Yet Hiruzen harbored zero desire to launch a coup; as both the sovereign Hokage and the Supreme Commander of the Land of Fire's National Defense Forces, he already held absolute executive, legislative, and military control across the board.
Elder Isshin delivered a sharp cuff to the back of Fugaku's head: "You reckless fool! Either commit to your studies properly, or abandon them entirely! Half-educated sycophants who project their wild daydreams onto administrative matters are the greatest hazard to good governance!"
Fugaku hoisted the massive stone slab with one hand while rubbing his skull with the other: "Understood, Elder Isshin. I shall refrain from pedantic literary allusions. My operational roadmap is locked in: I serve strictly as Lord Hokage's primary physical enforcer!"
Isshin let out a dry cough, emphasizing with cold authority: "The moment your second son is born, he will be placed under Seisui's mentorship alongside Itachi. You are barred from touching the boy's educational curriculum!"
Hiruzen watched the exchange in amused silence. The historically arrogant, icy Uchiha clan was drifting irreversibly toward becoming the village's resident comedy troupe.
"Lord Hokage, is this location acceptable for the monument's placement?"
"Clan archives confirm this tablet was bequeathed by the Sage of Six Paths himself. Anchoring it directly behind your executive desk carries exquisite structural symbolism: it designates the Sage of Six Paths as Konoha's immutable backing—our institutional bedrock!"
Isshin proposed with a broad, beaming smile.
Under previous administrations, had a Hokage demanded the surrender of the Uchiha Stone Tablet or clan-restricted ocular assets, the clan's radical wing would have detonated into open rebellion.
They would have viewed it as an existential corporate asset strip.
Today, however, the political framework had been completely rewritten.
Ever since Hiruzen had systematically neutralized the historical liabilities surrounding Madara's legacy, rehabilitating the patriarch's profile and legally cementing the Uchiha as co-founders of Konohagakure, the entire clan had been riding a wave of euphoric celebration for days.
Once the initial revelry subsided, the Uchiha executive council had been gripped by intense, anxious deliberation: how could the clan appropriately reciprocate the Hokage's monumental political favor?
The crimson-eyed elites were an intensely proud people, strictly bound by the traditional ethos of mutual obligation.
They had convened multiple emergency clan assemblies specifically to address this issue.
It was during post-war site assessments that Isshin, while auditing clan inventories and structural damage, noticed the anomalous activation of the stone tablet, while concurrently discovering an ancient scroll containing Madara's personal armor.
As for how that armor had materialized in the vault, it had naturally been deposited by A-Huo under Madara's direct orders following the Amegakure engagement.
Institutional bedrock? Hiruzen mused, his expression mildly conflicted. Did the shinobi world truly share this specific interior decorating superstition?
Then again, the Uchiha were a millennial noble house; they possessed eccentric aristocratic traditions that set them apart from standard ninja.
"Very well. I accept the gift with gratitude, Isshin, Fugaku. It is magnificent," Hiruzen said, rising from his desk with a warm smile.
"We are honored that it meets your standards!" Isshin's face lit up like a blooming flower. "Furthermore... this artifact is a suit of heavy armor I recovered from an ancient sealed scroll within our deepest archives. Clan Elder Homura and I audited the metallurgical signatures for hours: it is verified personal hardware once deployed by Lord Madara himself."
"Allowing such a masterpiece to gather dust in our vaults would be a criminal waste of military capital."
Upon discovering Madara's armor, Isshin had deliberated extensively.
Though Madara's historical status had been officially restored, looking across the active ranks of the Uchiha, not a single operative commanded the combat metrics or political weight to don this armor in service of the village.
Perhaps Seisui could assume that mantle in the distant future, but in Isshin's assessment, the boy currently lacked the requisite institutional seniority.
That was Madara, after all—a founding titan of Konoha.
Therefore, Isshin calculated that presenting the armor to Hiruzen Sarutobi for executive inspection was the only proper protocol, if only to formally log the artifact with state leadership.
Hiruzen locked eyes with Isshin, decoding the elder's administrative psychology in a fraction of a second.
I see. The clan is thriving under the current administration, and they are terrified of unforeseen political friction. They are meticulously logging every asset with me, adhering to compliance protocols with excessive precision.
A classic manifestation of the principle where the prosperous party yields ground to preserve harmony.
Hiruzen stepped forward, conducting a technical evaluation of the plate armor.
Unlike the iconic crimson lacquer suit familiar to historical records, the armor resting before him was midnight-black, gleaming with a deep, chilling luster, forged from a high-density, proprietary chakra alloy.
Its visual architecture was significantly more aggressive and ornate than standard Sengoku-era lamellar armor: the central cuirass featured a stylized Susanoo relief, while the pauldrons incorporated articulated dragon-scale plating.
A jet-black sash wrapped the waist, accented by subtle, blood-red filigree, flanked by matching vambraces and greaves.
The entire assembly projected immense kinetic mass—a true set of heavy plate armor completely decoupled from the fragile, laced armor common to the Warring States. It was undeniably a bespoke, custom-engineered masterpiece.
I must say, this aesthetic bears a striking resemblance to the ancient Tang-dynasty Mountain-Pattern Bright-Light Armor... Hiruzen found himself immediately captivated, a spark of genuine admiration flaring in his eyes.
Sensing the Hokage's approval, Isshin hastily expanded on the provenance: "According to verified historical logs, this suit was commissioned by Lord Madara in his early twenties at staggering capital expense—representing the era when his combat doctrine was at its most flamboyant and devastatingly kinetic."
"Later, as Lord Madara achieved total, effortless stabilization of the Complete Susanoo, he phased out conventional physical armor, placing this unit into deep storage."
"To think it remained secured within our primary vault all these decades. That I failed to flag its existence earlier is a grave oversight on my part as clan head."
The "verified historical logs" Isshin referenced were, of course, the firsthand testimony of Izuna Uchiha.
However, with Fugaku standing right beside them, there was zero operational reason to expose the reality of Izuna's soul cohabiting Seisui's biological vessel.
The clan's public profile was finally stabilizing. Revealing that a legacy patriarch was occupying a teenager's hardware would lead external observers to conclude the boy was suffering from severe psychological fragmentation or dissociative identity disorder.
"An understandable oversight, Isshin. There is no need for self-reproach."
Hiruzen cleared his throat lightly, eyeing the heavy plating: "I must confess an unusual personal request... viewing this armor stirs an immediate, powerful resonance within me."
Isshin let out a hearty laugh. Had he not intended to gift the asset to Hiruzen, why would he have dragged it to the executive suite in the first place?
He had deliberately left the offer unstated to preserve diplomatic flexibility, avoiding the mutual awkwardness of a rejected gift or the appearance of forcing the Hokage into an overt political endorsement of the Uchiha.
Now that Hiruzen had formally requested the asset, the transaction achieved flawless alignment.
"Peerless armor belongs solely to a supreme warrior! Lord Hokage, it is yours!"
Isshin pressed the advantage smoothly: "Consider the symmetry: your executive wall already mounts the crimson armor gifted by Lady Mito from Lord Hashirama's estate. Suspending Lord Madara's armor alongside it establishes a magnificent, harmonious balance."
"Leaving Lord Hashirama's armor hanging in isolation without the Great Patriarch beside him... he must have felt profoundly lonely across these decades!"
Fugaku turned to stare at Isshin in open-mouthed astonishment.
Is this the terrifying power of corporate diplomacy?
To frame the narrative so seamlessly, as though the Great Patriarch and the First Hokage had never engaged in an apocalyptic bloodbath at the Valley of the End.
"Then I shall accept with deep gratitude!"
Hiruzen stepped forward, solemnly receiving the midnight-black plate armor from Isshin's hands before signaling his Anbu detachment.
Under Hiruzen's personal supervision, the Anbu carefully mounted the black armor upon the central wall, flanking Hashirama's crimson battle-dress.
Concurrently, Fugaku and the sentries hoisted the Sage's stone monument, securing it with heavy brackets directly behind the executive desk.
Within moments, the aesthetic gravitas of the Hokage's office underwent a staggering upgrade.
The room now housed verified legacy artifacts from the Sage of Six Paths, the Ghost of the Uchiha, and the God of Shinobi simultaneously.
Historical records suggest Onoki harbors severe residual trauma regarding Madara Uchiha...
If full-scale theater war ever erupts against the Stone, donning this heavy black armor on the front lines would deliver a devastating psychological strike to the old dwarf. I wonder if Onoki still retains visual memories of Madara's youth?
It is entirely plausible; the First Tsuchikage Ishikawa likely briefed him on Madara's operational profiles. Onoki and I share an identical pedigree—both raised under the direct mentorship of our village founders.
Hiruzen mused with dark humor.
He spent his days projecting Hashirama's benevolent Will of Fire across diplomatic channels, only to march onto the battlefield encased in Madara's youthful war armor.
The cognitive dissonance inflicted upon foreign shinobi would be catastrophic.
It was essentially a three-way split personality: shifting seamlessly between the playbooks of Tobirama, Hashirama, and Madara depending on market conditions.
"To think this artifact still existed..."
Standing quietly near the threshold, Kakuzu stared at the mounted armor, a rare look of historical reflection crossing his weathered face: "I never witnessed this suit deployed in real-time, but ancient mercenary scrolls I audited noted that Madara Uchiha once wore this exact black plate armor, wielding twin blades wreathed in Susanoo flames, tearing across battlefields with uncontested supremacy."
"In Lord Hokage's hands, I have no doubt that apocalyptic presence will be resurrected on the modern stage."
Hiruzen chuckled warmly: "High praise, Kakuzu!"
The moment Kakuzu had entered the room, their eyes had met in silent acknowledgment.
Yet seeing Isshin and Fugaku conducting clan business, Kakuzu had demonstrated flawless corporate etiquette, waiting patiently by the perimeter without interjecting.
He was a true, seasoned intellectual. Across decades of wandering, literature remained one of his few private passions.
"You have had a demanding deployment, securing critical assets across the border once again."
"Even with an immortal cellular framework, you must manage your operational cadence and maintain work-life balance," Hiruzen noted, pouring a cup of fresh tea and handing it smoothly to the financial officer.
"Merely executing my operational duties for the collective," Kakuzu replied, a genuine, relaxed smirk touching his lips beneath his mask. He accepted the tea, drained the cup, and shifted his focus toward Fugaku.
"Commissioners Isshin and Fugaku, the Sharingan assets you provisioned for my unit performed with exceptional efficiency."
"My field run secured raw genetic samples of Kumogakure's Magnet Release. While Magnet Release is synthesized through Wind and Lightning—deviating from your core Fire affinity—Lightning remains a baseline transformation mastered by elite Uchiha operatives."
Kakuzu addressed Fugaku with a faint, encouraging nod: "I offer my professional prayers that the Sage of Six Paths looks favorably upon your clinical trials, granting you stable integration of the Magnet Release."
Kakuzu gestured toward the newly mounted stone tablet behind the desk.
"Ha! Have no fear! Fortune favors the bold!"
"Backed by two automated Izanagi resets plus my native biological life, if I fail to clear a three-tier surgical trial, I will accept liquidation without complaint!" Fugaku declared, waving his hand with theatrical bravado.
Kakuzu shook his head, an amused chuckle escaping him. The reckless martial path truly matched Fugaku's operational profile.
To deploy reality-altering ocular suicide protocols simply to mitigate the surgical rejection of an external bloodline limit was an absurdly extreme clinical methodology.
Hiruzen shook his head in resigned amusement.
Between Fugaku and Sakumo Hatake, both men insisted that failing to scale their combat metrics immediately would render them obsolete in the modern era, stubbornly volunteering to endure high-risk adaptation surgeries.
In Hiruzen's technical assessment, while the probability of success was statistically favorable, baseline operational risk was never zero. There was no absolute urgency; they could have scaled their integration gradually.
Yet Fugaku and Sakumo had effectively backed the Hokage into a political corner, appealing to the highest corporate ideals: "Lord Hokage, senior High Commissioners must lead from the vanguard! We refuse to sit idle as passive beneficiaries of the system!"
"Place your trust in our Will of Fire! We have completed comprehensive physical audits under Commissioners Orochimaru and Hiruko; our biological metrics cleared the baseline. Even if operational risks exist, what S-rank shinobi deployment is free of danger?"
Confronted with that level of institutional dedication, even Hiruzen could no longer veto the initiative, merely directing Orochimaru to enforce strict clinical safeguards throughout the procedure.
Fugaku scratched his cheek, his face flushing slightly: "Ahem... Lord Hokage..."
"My second son is due to arrive shortly. I wish to formally petition your office... might he be granted permission to inherit the honorable name of Lord Sasuke Sarutobi? May he carry that legacy as a lifetime mandate, maturing into an exemplary shinobi of the Leaf."
Hiruzen paused, taking a fraction of a second to process the historical continuity.
Within the shinobi world, when a venerable patriarch granted an allied family permission to adopt the name of an ancestral hero, it represented the highest manifestation of inter-clan solidarity and mutual validation.
Hiruzen blinked slowly, a broad smile spreading across his face.
"It seems our strategic thinking has converged."
"As the executive leadership of the Uchiha clan, consider this: should my household welcome additional offspring down the line, if it is a boy, I intend to christen him Madara Sarutobi; if a girl, Izuna Sarutobi. Would you two register any objections to that arrangement?"
Isshin and Fugaku froze simultaneously.
"Objections? None whatsoever! We endorse it unconditionally!"
This is absolute, unshakeable corporate synergy!
If the Hokage's own children bore the names of the Great Patriarch and the Young Patriarch, who across the five great nations would ever dare weaponize historical grievances against the Uchiha clan again?
Slandering the Uchiha would equate to directly targeting the Hokage's direct lineage!
This was the definitive, permanent eradication of the clan's historical liabilities.
To question the Uchiha's loyalty would be framed as a malicious political assault on Hiruzen Sarutobi's children.
The mere visualization of the scenario nearly sent Fugaku and Isshin into fits of triumphant laughter. The clan wouldn't even need to mobilize their own enforcers; the Hokage's dual attack dogs, Hizashi Hyuga and Hiruko, would tear the offenders limb from limb on the spot.
"However, regarding your household, Lord Hokage..."
Isshin blinked, a sudden thought striking him: was the Hokage actively planning to expand his family?
Hiruzen had simply floated the concept as a long-term diplomatic anchor; he held no immediate domestic timeline.
Reflecting on the Hokage's towering, hyper-dense physical frame, Isshin felt entirely reassured. Presenting Madara's heavy war armor had been calculated on that exact physical reality: today's Hiruzen Sarutobi possessed a terrifyingly robust, muscular constitution. Had he offered such massive plate to a frail executive, it would have functioned as an implicit insult.
In fact, for Hiruzen to comfortably field Madara's custom plate in active combat, Lady Biwako would likely need to tailor the chest tolerances outward by an inch or two.
The delegation engaged in high-spirited corporate banter before formally concluding the summit.
Kakuzu departed to audit the balance sheets of the Root and R&D divisions, seeking mental relaxation through ledger verification.
Isshin hummed a lively tune as he exited, the final strategic weight lifting from his shoulders. His immediate roadmap was set: accelerate Seisui's combat merits, ensuring the prodigy assumed his High Commission seat ahead of schedule, allowing Isshin to retire into domestic comfort and supervise Fugaku's children.
Meanwhile, Fugaku departed to link up with Sakumo at Anbu headquarters; the two brothers-in-arms were marching directly to the R&D labs to initiate their surgical ascension.
Striding down the corridor, Fugaku grinned broadly: "Magnet Release! Outstanding! The signature jutsu of the Third Kazekage—an ability that commands the absolute pinnacle of Kage-tier combat!"
However, Fugaku's comprehension of elemental bloodline limits remained slightly underdeveloped.
Chakra Kekkei Genkai were fundamentally specialized ninjutsu architectures, governed by nature and shape transformation just like standard elemental arts. Boil Release, for instance, could manifest as high-pressure kinetic steam or corrosive vapor.
Magnet Release, depending on the operator's biological affinity and shape manipulation, interfaced with entirely different physical mediums: the Third Kazekage deployed Iron Sand, while Rasa wielded Gold Dust.
Given Fugaku's uncompromising martial mindset, his adaptation of Magnet Release might entirely bypass material manipulation, evolving instead into localized electromagnetic acceleration—a biological "magnetic-field physical fortification" protocol.
Inside the executive suite, the room fell quiet.
Hiruzen spent several minutes admiring the craftsmanship of Madara's heavy plate.
It seemed that across lifetimes, his aesthetic preferences mirrored Tobirama's: both shared an undeniable affection for massive, high-tier military hardware.
The defensive tolerance is staggering...
Is it forged from a proprietary chakra-conductive alloy? A significant portion must be, compounded through specialized metallurgy, Hiruzen analyzed, rapping his knuckles against the breastplate. The dull, heavy metallic resonance satisfied him deeply.
I wonder how Enma's Senjutsu integration is progressing at Mt. Myoboku?
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
Encased in this midnight-black and crimson plate, swinging the adamantine staff wreathed in boiling chakra... even an executive as fundamentally dedicated to peace as himself felt an intoxicating surge of martial anticipation.
Now then... this Uchiha Stone Tablet. Bequeathed by the Sage of Six Paths?
Hiruzen paced toward the monument, relighting his pipe, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the weathered inscriptions.
In all honesty, he held minimal expectations regarding the ancient text.
Having reviewed exhaustive historical archives, Hiruzen had confirmed that prior to his own transmigrated evolution, the shinobi world had never recorded an operative capable of synthesizing multiple artificial Kekkei Genkai through post-natal cultivation. His developmental path was entirely unique.
In his estimation, Fugaku's theatrical presentation was simply a diplomatic strategy designed to secure public relations value: The Hokage accepted their offering—an ancient ancestral monument of the Sage! The bilateral partnership reached new historical heights!
An archaic cultivation manual? Hiruzen shook his head faintly, treating the exercise as light casual reading as he puffed on his pipe.
He generally dismissed archaic training doctrines.
Ninjutsu was an evolving discipline, advancing through continuous generational iteration. Across a century-long horizon, the concept that ancient arts inherently surpassed modern frameworks was an irrational fallacy.
Yet as his eyes traced the decrypted lines, Hiruzen froze.
Wait...
Why does this theoretical framework actually align with my empirical data?
This text explicitly details treating individual Kekkei Genkai natures as tensile threads, weaving them through specialized structural geometries to form an integrated web! It outlines the exact mathematical methodology for converting quantitative density into qualitative ascension!
Does the historical Sage of Six Paths truly represent an empirical cultivation benchmark? Mechanical ascension is real?
Recalling his fragmented lore regarding the cosmic scale of this universe, Hiruzen's expression shifted dramatically: Archaic methodologies are magnificent! True cultivation demands the ancestral classical path!
The Hokage hoisted the massive Uchiha Stone Tablet with one arm, slamming it flat onto his executive desk, and began an exhaustive, rigorous academic deconstruction.
Even Black Zetsu could never have anticipated this outcome.
The text he had forged, extracted from Kaguya's fragmented subconscious memories, was heavily corrupted—lacking vast sections of theoretical deduction, rendering empirical reproduction virtually impossible for standard shinobi.
Yet Hiruzen had already laid the experimental groundwork.
The nascent "Kekkei Genkai chakra filaments" currently woven through his internal network were the living prototype of this exact concept, achieving uncanny alignment with Black Zetsu's corrupted transcript.
In a terrifying stroke of operational irony, Black Zetsu had dared to draft the impossible manual, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was insane enough to cultivate it!
After hours of intense, silent analysis, Hiruzen lifted his head, his eyes blazing with intellectual revelation.
The architecture was viable.
While weaving his internal filaments into a complete, absolute network to reach the theoretical summit documented as "Kekkei Mora" remained statistically improbable in the immediate term...
Deploying the structural weaving techniques inscribed upon this tablet would accelerate the synthesis rate of his internal Kekkei Genkai filaments by an astronomical margin!
Could operational luck truly be a quantifiable variable?
Hiruzen exhaled a long plume of smoke. This frictionless acquisition of high-value cultivation assets made his tactical maneuvering feel almost effortless.
Konohagakure's strategic reserves were truly inexhaustible.
Amegakure.
Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, and Hanzo were currently conducting a joint executive audit across the industrial sector.
"Exemplary!"
"The production quotas for medical chakra scroll rough-stocks have cleared our baseline targets! Backed by the financial coordination of Hinata's kin, Hizashi and Hiashi, the noble houses of the Rain are liquidating their personal treasuries to fund expansion!"
Hanzo beamed as he reviewed the humming assembly lines, where Amegakure's industrial ninja operated with intense, disciplined rhythm.
Under Kakuzu's strategic restructuring, Amegakure had optimized its civic workforce:
Operatives possessing refined chakra control were organized into specialized industrial manufacturing corps.
Combat-averse personnel with strong public-facing soft skills were dispatched to Konoha to service civilian infrastructure contracts and tertiary service industries.
Finally, high-tier combat specialists were concentrated into an elite standing army, focusing all municipal military expenditure on their hardware—a structural deployment mirroring Sunagakure's doctrine.
However, Sunagakure pursued that model out of grinding poverty.
Amegakure pursued it due to demographic constraints: their population was limited, requiring significant personnel allocation toward manufacturing and services.
"Greetings, Lord Hanzo!" The factory operatives bowed with profound reverence as the executive delegation traversed the facility floor.
"Carry on, everyone! Outstanding work!" Hanzo waved with sweeping executive warmth.
This sensation—receiving unconditional, heartfelt reverence from his own people while watching the village ascend step by step into unprecedented stability—was intoxicating.
"Maintain structural discipline! Accelerate production velocity, but maintain zero tolerance for defects!"
Hanzo projected his voice with commanding resonance: "The rival hidden villages will not sit idly by, watching the bilateral hegemony of the Rain and the Leaf expand unchecked! Those predatory cartels will inevitably attempt to disrupt our economic trajectory!"
"Yet we harbor zero fear! The historic integration of the Will of Rain and the Will of Fire represents a continental juggernaut that no coalition can derail!"
The "Will of Rain" was Hanzo's bespoke ideological framework, functionally identical to Konoha's Will of Fire.
Its explicit purpose was to accustom the Rain's shinobi to Konoha's institutional culture ahead of schedule.
Though merely a youth edition, the inevitable trajectory was clear: eventually, the life roadmap of an Amegakure shinobi would culminate in securing residency status within Konohagakure.
Hanzo was by no means liquidating the sovereignty of his people.
Given that their macroeconomic and defense postures were completely fused, and Hiruzen had legally guaranteed Amegakure absolute internal administrative autonomy, clinging to hollow tribal rhetoric was meaningless.
The nobility's absolute addiction to the Sovereign Sage Pills signaled that integration with the Land of Fire was an irresistible geopolitical current.
Even setting aside his profound personal brotherhood with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hanzo understood this was an inevitable historical pivot.
Besides, his bond with Big Brother Hiruzen was an immutable asset.
"Understood! Maintain discipline and maximize production velocity!" Yahiko echoed with boundless, youthful vigor.
"Every medical rough-scroll manufactured on this line represents a life saved on tomorrow's front lines! Rest assured, Lord Hanzo and our command team will stand as the ultimate shield, repelling any hostile incursion at the border!"
The factory floor erupted in a unified, thunderous roar of affirmation.
Remarkably, despite the contradictory rhetoric of "do not rush, but maintain maximum speed," not a single Rain operative registered a grievance.
To work an assembly line manufacturing medical scrolls while receiving predictable, piece-rate wages represented the greatest socioeconomic dividend they had witnessed in fifty years.
There was zero room for complaint.
There was only boundless institutional gratitude.
"Nagato, your recent border interdictions were handled with flawless execution. Hostile reconnaissance units must be neutralized with extreme prejudice."
"When engaging scouts from the Stone and Cloud, deploy absolute kinetic dominance. We cannot project a single millimeter of operational hesitation."
"These skirmishes serve to sharpen your combat metrics. Your ceiling is limitless; you must aggressively convert that talent into tangible output."
Hanzo rested a heavy, approving hand on Nagato's shoulder: "You are the disciple of my Big Brother's direct student—the first shinobi in recorded history to hold dual citizenship across both Amegakure and Konohagakure. You carry the banner for two sovereign villages!"
"Understood, Lord Hanzo!"
Nagato straightened his spine, his crimson hair parting slightly: "I am fully cognizant of my responsibilities. I bear the names of the Hyuga, the Uchiha, and the Uzumaki. I will never dishonor Grand-Sensei Hiruzen or your trust! Any hostile entity attempting to shatter the peace between the Rain and the Leaf will have their spine shattered on the border!"
Yahiko and Konan felt their cheeks twitch in unison.
Isn't that operational footprint carrying an excessive number of corporate titles?
Within Amegakure, Nagato had evolved into a revered, near-mythical defensive titan.
Yet virtually no standard shinobi could endure holding eye contact with him for more than three seconds.
The simultaneous, permanent manifestation of a fully matured Sharingan in one socket and a pristine Byakugan in the other generated an optical dissonance that left observers instantly dizzy.
It was an unprecedented, millennium-level anatomical anomaly.
"Magnificent resolve, young man! Keep up the momentum!"
Hanzo pivoted toward Yahiko: "Yahiko, your administrative throughput has been exceptional. Do not be discouraged by your lack of destructive ninjutsu; Big Brother Hiruzen reminded me that mass mobilization and high-morale leadership are rare, high-value executive competencies."
"Recently, Konoha's R&D division fully decompiled Soragakure's flight technologies. The rough machining contracts for their flight wings and specialized senbon launchers have been allocated to our industrial parks; I am placing that portfolio under your direct oversight."
"Our metallurgical capacity and forging tolerances are fully certified for the task. Your mandate is to maintain peak workforce morale and drive output to capacity."
"The Rain and the Leaf must ensure our frontline corps are fully outfitted with three-dimensional aerial mobility before the next continental engagement ignites, securing our airspace with absolute supremacy."
Watching the spark ignite within Yahiko's eyes, Hanzo smiled warmly.
He had visited Konoha several weeks prior.
Following the aerial raid, Hanzo had dispatched engineering units to assist in urban reconstruction, leveraging the window to conduct an executive summit with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
A primary agenda item had been the operational management of Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.
Hiruzen had provided clear strategic guidance:
First, maintain absolute moral legitimacy across the continent by establishing that the Leaf-Rain axis never initiates unprovoked war; every military deployment was strictly defensive deterrence.
Second, ensure ambitious young assets remained fully saturated with operational deliverables—idle bandwidth bred philosophical drift.
Hanzo executed his brother's counsel with total fidelity, and the organizational dividends were undeniable.
"Konan, your division must scale its operational burden as well. Find avenues to elevate the packaging yield of our medical scrolls. Requisition whatever raw materials your logistics units require—saline solutions, high-density nutritional rations, specialized sealing inks..."
Hanzo echoed Hiruzen's signature executive cadence: "I have already cleared the credit line with Lord Hokage! Major commercial cartels across the Land of Fire will deliver the initial shipments free of charge, with subsequent logistics provisioned strictly at baseline wholesale cost!"
"Understood, Lord Hanzo!" Konan responded, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. "On behalf of our logistics corps, I express our deepest gratitude to you and Grand-Sensei Hiruzen!"
Hanzo waved his hand with a broad, benevolent grin.
With their operational directives established, the three youths departed to manage their respective sectors.
Returning to his private study, Hanzo unfurled Tobirama Senju's classified Water Release scroll, submerging his focus into the forbidden architectural formulas.
This tactical variation is disgustingly lethal... brilliant.
Hanzo methodically expanded his offensive repertoire.
The realization that his monstrously powerful Big Brother routinely woke at four in the morning to execute physical cultivation left Hanzo deeply unsettled whenever he found himself sitting idle.
His current research vectors focused on refining high-pressure Water Release katas, synthesizing the Explosive Flame Formation with scaled-down Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, and mastering the permanent biological integration of the Salamander poison sac engineered by Orochimaru and Tsunade.
Hanzo was actively preparing for theater war.
This time, he was not an isolated warlord stranded in the mud; he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Hiruzen Sarutobi, backed by the unified weight of the Rain and the Leaf.
Should the Stone, the Sand, or the Cloud launch a joint incursion across his borders...
Hanzo was priming his arsenal to deliver an apocalyptic surprise to those uncultured bandits who failed to grasp the majesty of the Will of Fire.
The absolute, unbridled fury of Hanzo of the Salamander!
Late that night.
While the vast majority of sectors across Konoha and the Rain expanded with disciplined, clockwork precision, unforeseen operational friction was materializing in an isolated corner of the village.
The Root Headquarters.
Having just concluded an intensive ideological calibration session with Danzo, Seisui (Tobirama) strode out of the subterranean facility in deep contemplation, only to find his path abruptly obstructed.
The figure waiting in the moonlit courtyard was none other than Tomie Uchiha—the young woman whose presence he had been systematically avoiding, attempting to fade their interpersonal connection through quiet detachment.
Her dark eyes locked onto Seisui, cutting straight through the crisp night air with unvarnished emotional weight:
"Seisui..."
"Tell me the truth: do you actually harbor zero affection for me?"
☆☆☆
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