"Kakashi would be an excellent addition," Tsunade mused thoughtfully, tapping her fingers against her desk. "He's demonstrated exceptional skills in battlefield analysis and strategic planning throughout his career."
"What about Yamanaka Inoichi?" Naraku suggested, his analytical mind already considering the unique advantages each candidate would bring to their new department.
"Of course Inoichi would be perfect for this role," Shikaku agreed immediately. "His expertise in reading people's emotions and motivations makes him invaluable for psychological warfare and intelligence analysis."
"I'd like to recommend someone else as well," Naraku continued. "How do you both feel about including Chen in our roster?"
"Chen? That Chūnin from the Intelligence Division?" Tsunade asked with raised eyebrows, clearly surprised by the suggestion.
"Yes, exactly," Naraku confirmed with conviction. "When provided with sufficient intelligence data, Chen can formulate the most effective battle strategies in remarkably short timeframes. His tactical thinking is truly exceptional."
"Then he's definitely included!" Tsunade declared without hesitation.
"What are your thoughts on Elder Mitokado Homura?" Shikaku inquired, bringing up one of Konoha's veteran advisors.
"Elder Mitokado certainly possesses the necessary experience and wisdom," Naraku acknowledged diplomatically, "but I don't believe he would be suitable for active General Staff duties. More importantly, I suspect he wouldn't be willing to take on such hands-on responsibilities at this stage of his life."
"Now that you mention it, you're absolutely right," Tsunade agreed with a knowing nod. "He's more suited to his current advisory role."
The three leaders continued their detailed discussion in Tsunade's office, carefully weighing the merits and potential drawbacks of each candidate. The selection process required balancing individual capabilities with team dynamics and overall departmental effectiveness.
In reality, there were numerous qualified candidates who could contribute meaningfully to the General Staff. However, considering various practical factors including current assignments, personal circumstances, and political considerations, some otherwise suitable individuals might not be selected for this initial formation.
After spending the better part of the afternoon in intensive deliberation, the trio finally reached consensus on their preliminary roster. The General Staff would begin operations with a carefully chosen core team that could be expanded as needed.
With the basic framework established, the newly created department began taking shape. However, the detailed operational procedures, communication protocols, and administrative systems still required extensive development and refinement.
As expected with any newly established organization, there wasn't much immediate work for the General Staff to undertake. The department was still in its initial familiarization phase, with members needing time to understand their roles and responsibilities before beginning active operations.
Despite its modest beginnings, the General Staff possessed all the essential elements needed for future success. Tsunade had demonstrated unwavering support for the new department, essentially providing whatever resources and authority they requested to ensure effective functioning.
Interestingly, the establishment of the General Staff represented a form of power decentralization away from Tsunade's direct control. While this arrangement would ultimately reduce her daily workload, it also meant transferring some decision-making authority to the new strategic planning body.
On paper, the General Staff possessed only advisory powers regarding combat planning and strategic recommendations. All final decisions would still rest with the Hokage, but the ability to influence major policies through formal recommendations represented a significant shift in Konoha's governance structure.
However, Tsunade appeared completely unconcerned about these political implications, which explained her enthusiastic support for establishing the department so readily. Her primary focus remained on improving Konoha's overall effectiveness rather than preserving personal authority.
"Alright, I think that covers our initial planning," Tsunade concluded, gathering the documents scattered across her desk. "We'll provide you with comprehensive support to help everyone become familiar with their new responsibilities as quickly as possible."
Since the General Staff was still in its infancy, there weren't many immediate operational demands, particularly given the current absence of active military conflicts requiring strategic coordination.
During the following period, Naraku and Shikaku dedicated their time to assembling their chosen personnel and formally notifying each selected individual about their appointment to the staff department. They also began developing the organizational structure, procedural guidelines, and operational protocols that would govern the department's future activities.
Of course, several potential staff members remained uninformed about their selection because they were currently deployed on missions outside the village and hadn't yet received the appointment notifications.
Finding himself with an unexpected period of reduced official responsibilities, Naraku chose not to rest on his achievements. Instead, he recognized this as the perfect opportunity to return home and conduct his highly anticipated fifth ten-draw lottery session!
"System, initiate the lottery process!" Naraku commanded, settling into a comfortable meditation position in his private chambers.
[Ding! Do you wish to begin the fifth ten-pull draw sequence?]
"Begin immediately!" he responded without hesitation.
The familiar mystical interface materialized before his consciousness once again. Countless exotic rewards flashed rapidly across his vision, each item pulsing with power that promised to transcend normal limitations. The sheer variety and potential of the available prizes created an almost hypnotic effect that drew Naraku's complete attention.
Even though he had already completed four previous ten-draw sessions, Naraku still experienced intense anticipation and nervous excitement during each lottery process. The possibility of obtaining game-changing abilities or artifacts never failed to elevate his heart rate.
The system seemed to recognize Naraku's eager anticipation and accelerated the selection process, quickly cycling through the available rewards before locking in his prizes.
[Ding! Lucky draw sequence completed successfully!]
[Congratulations to Host for receiving the following rewards:]
[1. Senzu Beans (20 pieces)!]
[2. Specially Crafted Hokage Divine Robe!]
[3. Spleen Enhancement +10%!]
[4. Three-Tails Isobu Chakra (one-thousandth portion)!]
[5. Four-Tails Son Gokū Chakra (one-seventh portion)!]
[6. Devil Fruit: Heat-Heat Fruit!]
[7. Kamehameha Wave Technique!]
[8. Water Style: Hard Vortex Water Blade!]
[9. Perfect Sage Mode (Ryūchi Cave)!]
[10. Chakra Perception Ability!]
The dazzling array of rewards spread before Naraku's consciousness caused his breathing to quicken uncontrollably. Each prize represented significant power enhancement, and the combination promised to elevate his capabilities to unprecedented levels.
"I experimented with one of the Senzu Beans from my previous draw," Naraku mused, reviewing his inventory. "Nine remain from that batch, and now I'm receiving twenty additional beans."
"Honestly, these items have limited practical value for someone at my current power level. Unless I encounter the ultimate final bosses of this world, no opponent can force me into truly desperate circumstances. The chakra and physical stamina I expend can be replenished instantly through Kurikara's power anyway."
Naraku dismissed the Senzu Beans as relatively unimportant prizes. While useful, they paled in comparison to acquiring powerful new jutsu or abilities.
"Let me examine this Hokage Divine Robe more carefully," he continued his analysis.
"Combined with the Hokage hat I obtained from an earlier draw, I now possess the complete ceremonial regalia. Is the system subtly encouraging me to pursue the Hokage position more aggressively?"
"The spleen enhancement follows the expected pattern. Now only my lungs and kidneys remain unenhanced among my major organs!"
"Interesting! This lottery produced chakra from two different tailed beasts simultaneously!"
"Three-Tails and Four-Tails chakra appearing together... Once I've collected chakra samples from all nine tailed beasts, I'll essentially become a miniature Ten-Tails myself. I wonder what transformations that will trigger!"
"Wait, there's another Devil Fruit in this batch?"
"While it's not among the absolute highest-tier fruits, the Heat-Heat Fruit possesses formidable destructive capabilities."
"System, can I safely consume another Devil Fruit?" Naraku inquired cautiously.
"Will the Heat-Heat Fruit conflict with my existing Flame-Flame Fruit powers and create dangerous complications?"
[No conflicts will occur!]
The system's reassuring response eliminated Naraku's concerns, prompting him to make another request: "Can you transfer the Devil Fruit's power directly to me? I really prefer avoiding the disgusting taste of those fruits. The flavor is absolutely revolting."
[Direct power transfer is possible!]
Naraku, who had been sitting comfortably in his room, suddenly felt intense warmth spreading throughout his entire body. An unfamiliar energy source materialized from nowhere and began integrating seamlessly with his existing power systems.
Uncontrollable heat began radiating outward from his body in waves. Naraku could clearly sense the ambient temperature rising rapidly around him. Various furnishings throughout the room started showing signs of heat damage, with wooden surfaces beginning to warp and metal objects growing uncomfortably warm to the touch.
Recognizing the potential danger to his property, Naraku quickly stood and moved toward the exit door, intending to take his power experiment outdoors.
If he remained indoors much longer, he genuinely worried about accidentally incinerating his entire house!
"Whoosh!"
The moment Naraku's right hand made contact with the door handle, brilliant orange-red flames erupted spontaneously and spread rapidly across the wooden surface. The fire moved with hungry intensity, consuming the door's finish and beginning to char the underlying wood.
"Damn!"
Naraku immediately clenched his fists, using his enhanced control to gather the flames back into his palms like flowing liquid fire. Despite his quick reaction, substantial portions of the door had already been scorched black, with ash beginning to drift downward from the damaged areas.
"That door is completely ruined now!"
"I need to get outside immediately!"
Without further delay, a dark figure launched skyward and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
Ten Thousand Meters Above Ground
High in the atmosphere, Naraku sat cross-legged on a dense white cloud formation, patiently waiting for his body's energy fluctuations to stabilize and return to normal baseline levels.
"The fusion of Heat-Heat Fruit and Flame-Flame Fruit powers creates truly incredible synergy!" he observed with scientific fascination.
Naraku raised his index finger experimentally, causing a small cluster of light blue flames to manifest at the fingertip. Intense heat immediately began radiating outward in all directions, creating visible distortions in the surrounding air.
"This tiny flame already reaches temperatures exceeding two thousand degrees, and I'm not even attempting to control or amplify it deliberately," he noted with satisfaction.
Concentrating his chakra and drawing upon his physical stamina reserves, Naraku began actively feeding energy into the flame. The small fire responded immediately, burning more vigorously as its light blue coloration intensified and began shifting toward deeper blue hues.
As the temperature climbed rapidly, the flame soon achieved a scorching five thousand degrees. At this point, the fire had transformed into a brilliant pure blue color. Although it remained physically tiny, the energy contained within had become truly terrifying in its destructive potential.
However, Naraku wasn't finished with his experiment. He continued channeling both chakra and physical strength into the flame, pushing his new abilities toward their limits. Within moments, a cluster of pristine white flames appeared before him, radiating heat that had reached an astounding eight thousand degrees.
Flames at eight thousand degrees represented nothing less than hellfire incarnate! Any ninja unfortunate enough to encounter such intense heat would be instantly vaporized, leaving not even ashes behind as evidence of their existence.
The most remarkable aspect was that this still wasn't the absolute limit of Shihouin Naraku's enhanced capabilities!
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