Itachi and Orochimaru had been back for several days now, and Naruto had finished consolidating a wealth of resources.
On this particular day, Naruto summoned Rasa to the training grounds of Amegakure.
With utmost politeness, Naruto said, "Uncle Kazekage, I'd like to test a new jutsu. I'll need your help…"
There was no way Rasa would refuse. "Of course. Go ahead!"
Naruto flashed through a series of intricate hand seals.
—Secret Art: Onikiraga Sprout Technique!
"Ugh…!" Rasa's face twisted in agony.
With a guttural gurgle, dense golden chakra erupted from the crown of his head. Once fully extracted, it condensed into a beam of light and shot straight into Naruto's forehead!
Weakly, Rasa gasped, "My Magnet Release chakra… it's gone…?"
Naruto called out, "Obito!"
"On it."
Obito's left eye locked onto Rasa.
—Yomotsu Hirasaka!
Whoosh! Time rewound, rolling back to the moment before his Gold Dust Magnet Release was stolen!
Obito glanced at Naruto. "So? Is the effect of the Onikiraga Sprout still there?"
Naruto shook his head, frowning. "It's gone. Why is that? I only rewound Uncle Rasa's time, so why did my Gold Dust Magnet Release vanish too?"
His original plan was simple: use the Onikiraga Sprout Technique to seize Rasa'sMagnet Release, then have Obito rewind Rasa's time. That way, Rasa would keep his Magnet Release, and Naruto would gain an extra one.
A world where no one got hurt—problem solved!
But reality was rarely so kind.
Obito mused, "It's probably causality. Beyond time and space, there's the web of cause and effect. When you reversed his time, the effect of your technique unraveled as well."
Accepting this, Naruto seemed to have an idea. He turned to Obito. "Can I try again?"
Obito grinned. "Go wild. As an Impure World Reincarnation, I can use Yomotsu Hirasaka as much as you like—just remember, the time reversal cap is five minutes. Any more, and I'm out of luck."
Naruto smiled. "No worries. I'll have the answer soon."
He cast the Onikiraga Sprout Technique again, snatching Rasa'sGold Dust Magnet Release!
Buzz!
This time, dark rings appeared around Naruto's eyes—the telltale sign of Gold Dust Magnet Release.
He formed another set of seals.
—Magnet Release: Gold Dust!
Whoosh—!
From deep beneath the soil, gold dust was refined and drawn up, pouring onto the ground and piling into a small mountain beside Naruto!
From the sidelines, Kakuzu's green eyes sparkled. "Oooooh~~~!"
Rasa marveled, "To extract such a massive amount of gold dust from the gold-poor soil of Amegakure in one go… You're incredible!"
Naruto called, "Obito!"
—Yomotsu Hirasaka!
Obito reversed Rasa's time once more.
Sizzle! The dark circles around Naruto's eyes faded—proof that the Onikiraga Sprout Technique's effect had vanished again.
Naruto looked at the gold dust blanketing the ground, eyes bright but tinged with confusion. "The Gold Dust Magnet Release is gone, but the gold dust I drew out is still here. Why?"
Obito was surprised as well. He thought for a moment, then concluded, "Rewinding Rasa's time is directly linked to your Onikiraga Sprout Technique—that's direct causality. But the gold dust you created is a step removed—indirect causality. That's why it wasn't affected."
Naruto's gaze sharpened, a glint of insight in his eyes. "So, Yomotsu Hirasaka's time reversal only affects the first layer of causality. Effects produced by a second layer—like the gold dust I summoned—don't disappear. By extension, if I use this to harm an enemy, the damage won't vanish either. That gives us a lot of tactical options…"
Obito asked, "So, do you still want this Gold Dust Magnet Release?"
Naruto thought it over. "Not for now. I've already come up with a new strategy. In battle, I'll temporarily extract five different kekkei genkai, then have you use Yomotsu Hirasaka to return them. This way, I can experiment with all kinds of bloodline limits, rather than just sticking to five at a time. Isn't that more versatile?"
Obito was floored. "You even thought of that? That's terrifying…"
Naruto's eyes gleamed. "Jutsu are dead, people are alive. The key is how you use them."
Rasa cleared his throat. "Um… can I go now?"
Naruto chuckled, "Go ahead, Uncle Rasa."
Kakuzu piped up, "Hold on. Use your Gold Dust Magnet Release to move all this gold dust to the treasury first…"
—
Leaving the training grounds, Naruto and Obito made their way to the terraced fields behind the mountain.
Recently, under Amemiya Ruri's leadership, Amegakure had been vigorously implementing a responsibility field system.
Every ninja, regardless of rank or duty, was assigned a plot of land. No matter how busy their missions, they had to find time to tend their field—regular inspections were mandatory.
Fail the inspection, and your performance review took a hit—in plain terms, your pay got docked!
Of course, the system wasn't meant to make life difficult for ninja, but to teach them vital survival skills.
There was some resistance at first, but Amegakure was a small village in a small country, with little complicated politics. After a bit of grumbling, everyone got on board.
As the true leader of the village, Naruto naturally led by example.
But his responsibility field didn't hold ordinary crops.
Just over a month ago, Kurama had shared with Naruto a method for strengthening the soul of a Fudō Myōō practitioner.
It was a secret the Sage of Six Paths had stumbled upon a millennium ago.
By infusing seeds with souls and planting them in the earth, the resulting crops and fruits could actually enhance soul strength!
Back in the Sage's era, this technique was never widely adopted—he only dabbled in it. After all, as the strongest being in the world, what need did he have to further strengthen his soul?
But now, a thousand years later, Naruto had revived the technique—and even drawn up a grand blueprint:
—The Soul Crop Cultivation Project.
He planned to grow a soul in this field that could rival the gods!
To that end, Naruto had even sought advice from Amegakure's veteran farmers.
This was his second crop in the field.
Yes, the second. The first was rice, irrigated with Dragon Vein chakra. It was harvested half a month ago, and Tobirama had requisitioned some for sake brewing.
For the second crop, Naruto chose vegetables—specifically, sugarcane.
It wasn't that he particularly loved sugarcane, but the rainy climate of the Land of Rain was ideal for it.
Crack!
Naruto snapped off a stalk of ripe sugarcane and tossed it to Obito. "Try it. How's it taste?"
Obito sucked the juice, eyes lighting up. "Sweet and fragrant… Delicious."
Indeed, crops grown with Fudō Myōō could be tasted even by someone reanimated by Impure World Reincarnation!
Crunch! Crunch!
Naruto chewed enthusiastically, even biting through and swallowing the cane's tough skin.
Mom always said… don't be a picky eater!
At that moment, Obito seemed to sense something. He glanced to the side, cane still in his mouth, and slipped away into a Kamui vortex.
Rustle—!
Sheets of paper swirled together, forming Konan's graceful figure as she landed lightly in front of Naruto.
"Konan-nee, want one?" Naruto stood up, smiling as he offered her a thick, long stalk of sugarcane.
Konan accepted it, tucking it discreetly into her sleeve. Her tone was calm. "There's a fight."
"Who's fighting?" Naruto asked.
Unhurried, Konan replied, "The First and Second Hokage—on the other side of the mountain."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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