"What the hell is going on here?!"
In an underground ANBU base outside of Konohagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at Jiraiya, whose face was full of embarrassment.
Since the Fourth Raikage couldn't be casually brought into the village, Jiraiya had chosen this location as a temporary arrangement. Hiruzen had rushed over immediately upon hearing the news, but instead of meeting the Raikage, he first needed to get some explanations.
His face looked pale, and there was a faint smell of medicinal ointment lingering on him—it was clear he had just come from the hospital.
After receiving Jiraiya's notification, he had been so overwhelmed that he nearly collapsed.
His chest felt tight, his vision blurred, and he was barely holding himself together.
Thankfully, ANBU had intervened in time and sent him to the hospital. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened?
"Well, there might be a bit of a misunderstanding here..."
Jiraiya shot a pleading look at Tsunade, silently asking for help.
"Tch."
Tsunade initially had no intention of intervening, but after some thought, she reluctantly decided to lend him a hand.
"Old man, I don't know what's wrong with that Fourth Raikage, but no matter how much we tried to convince him, he insisted on coming here. It's like he thinks us letting him go would be equivalent to killing him."
"Letting him go... is the same as killing him?"
Hiruzen was puzzled. How could releasing someone be equated to killing them?
"Exactly. That's how he's acting."
Tsunade didn't hold back. She shot a glare at the now-relieved Jiraiya, then turned her gaze to Kakashi before speaking casually.
"Though, it might have something to do with him secretly overhearing some of our conversations."
"...What exactly did you say?"
Hiruzen looked at Tsunade, who seemed entirely unconcerned, and took a deep breath.
He was starting to sense that something wasn't right. Could they have said something outrageous?
"Don't ask me; I'm too embarrassed to say."
Unfortunately, Tsunade didn't seem inclined to explain. She snorted lightly at Hiruzen and added,
"Old man, I never thought Konohagakure would end up like this."
"..."
Hiruzen felt even more uneasy. He glanced at Jiraiya, then finally turned his gaze to Kakashi.
"Kakashi, explain this."
"Uh... me?"
Kakashi felt his scalp tingle, but he eventually nodded.
"Well, there's definitely a big misunderstanding here..."
"Get to the point!"
"Minamoto suggested that we release the Fourth Raikage in a crowded area, then use the Flying Thunder God mark he left on the Raikage to..."
"Stop. That's enough."
By this point, Hiruzen didn't need to hear the rest to understand why the Fourth Raikage had insisted on coming to Konohagakure.
As someone who had dealt with Raikage before, Hiruzen was well aware of the mindset of these "battle maniacs."
They weren't afraid of death.
After all, the Third Raikage had fought against ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi for three days and three nights to cover his subordinates' retreat.
But being taken out in some sneaky, underhanded way? That was something they couldn't accept.
The Fourth Raikage had likely decided to come to Konohagakure because he knew they wouldn't dare to harm him outright.
"You people really know how to cause me trouble!"
Hiruzen rubbed his temples, trying to calm himself. After a while, he seemed to have regained his composure.
"Fine. I'll go meet him and see what he intends to do. Just to confirm, he does have a Flying Thunder God mark on him, correct?"
"Yes. Minamoto said so himself, and I trust him," Jiraiya quickly replied.
Hiruzen straightened his robes and nodded.
"Good. Last time, Konohagakure had no choice, but things are different now. Konohagakure is not what it used to be."
At this point, he had no other choice but to face the situation head-on.
While he hoped for peace, he was prepared to retaliate if necessary.
And to be honest, he held no goodwill toward Kumogakure. The memory of them pressuring Konohagakure into targeting the Hyūga Clan was still fresh in his mind.
Back then, the village had barely recovered from the war, and the Nine-Tails incident had left them in an even worse state.
If not for Hiashi Hyūga's sacrifice, Konohagakure might have been dragged into another war.
But now, the circumstances were different. Hiruzen had more confidence in their position.
"However..."
A sudden thought struck Hiruzen, and he turned to face the group.
"Next time you're scheming, can you at least find a more private place?"
"..."
"That plan... in extreme circumstances, it's not entirely unfeasible."
"..."
Jiraiya fell silent, while Tsunade snorted in disdain. She felt she finally understood one of Konohagakure's major problems.
Kakashi, on the other hand, kept his head down, not daring to say a word.
After a long pause, Jiraiya muttered under his breath,
"As expected of the strongest Hokage..."
"???"
"Don't! Old man, don't hit me! You just got out of the hospital; it's not good for you to exert yourself!"
"I ended up in the hospital because of you lot!"
"Wait, don't fight! We also gathered intel on Kakuzu and the Akatsuki, and no one else ended up in the hospital!"
"I'm not a person?!"
Whoosh!
With a slight ripple of Chakra, Kitagawa Minamoto suddenly appeared in his room.
Looking around at his small but cozy space, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Small, but not bad."
He opened the window and noticed the flowers on the windowsill were thriving.
It was clear that Naruto had been diligently watering them every day.
"That kid's not too bad, huh?"
Minamoto nodded in approval, then made a decision.
"When the Chūnin Exams come around, I won't sit next to him. I'll stand behind him and watch instead."
Although it wasn't much of a difference, it might reduce the pressure on Naruto a bit.
"Time to get to work."
Minamoto glanced around the room before creating a Shadow Clone.
The next moment, his real body disappeared from the room.
Though he was confident that the Tailed Beast Chakra provided by the System wouldn't cause any major issues, he still needed to be cautious.
After several teleportations, he arrived in a secluded valley in the Land of Fire.
Looking up, he could even see the towering statues of the Valley of the End in the distance.
"This will do."
Minamoto didn't care whose Flying Thunder God mark was left here. To him, it didn't matter.
His range of perception with the Flying Thunder God Technique had expanded significantly, giving him a great deal of flexibility in combat.
"Still, it's not enough. One day, I'd like to sense the mark I left in Rōran from my home."
He hadn't forgotten the "gift of nature" buried in Rōran.
While he wasn't entirely sure what those Chakras were, he knew they were incredibly abundant.
"Activating those Chakras could even allow someone to travel through time. I can't just ignore such power."
As a Ōtsutsuki with a blank slate, Minamoto's potential and adaptability were immense.
This "gift of nature" was something he couldn't overlook. At the very least, it could enhance his Chakra reserves.
"But for now, I need to focus on the task at hand."
Sitting cross-legged, Minamoto activated his System.
"System, use the Chakra of the Seven-Tails."
As soon as he spoke, a unique power began surging into his body.
Just like with the Three-Tails' Chakra, the Seven-Tails' Chakra immediately reacted with his own energy.
Perhaps because of his prior experience, the integration of the Seven-Tails' Chakra went even more smoothly this time.
Guided by his own Chakra, the Seven-Tails' power surged toward his eyes.
"The power of the fruit... it really does focus on the eyes."
In Minamoto's memory, the Ōtsutsuki clan had an uncanny habit of "swapping eyes."
One moment, it was the Rinnegan; the next, it was a different color with a completely new ability.
"And then there's Deidara's approach—opening up new pathways on his hands..."
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Minamoto felt increasing pressure in his eyes.
The influx of Chakra from the Seven-Tails intensified the sensation of "pulsation" he had felt before.
His eyes were now absorbing his Chakra at an alarming rate.
Fortunately, Minamoto had an abundant supply of Chakra. Otherwise, anyone else in his position would have been drained dry.
"My bloodline is boiling... it seems like this time, the upgrade will be significant."
Minamoto muttered to himself. He looked up at the sky and felt an inexplicable pull toward something unique in the heavens.
But for now, such thoughts were premature. He needed to focus on one question:
"What direction will my eyes evolve in?"
He had always been curious about what his eyes would transform into.
While he hoped for the Tenseigan, he couldn't rule out other possibilities.
"First option: the Byakugan."
The Byakugan was the foundation of all ocular abilities. Even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's eyes had remained unchanged, except for the addition of a new Rinne Sharingan on her forehead.
"Second option: the standard Rinnegan. Rare now, but later on..."
He sighed.
"That thing will be everywhere."
As for the Pure Eye (Jōgan), he wasn't entirely sure of its abilities. It seemed to allow the user to perceive shadows within a space and foresee the future, but...
"Seeing shadows in a space isn't that useful. And as for foreseeing the future? I am the 'source of information'!"
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Minamoto felt his bloodline reach a boiling point.
At that moment, his body began to change.
Sitting cross-legged, he slowly started to float, as if gravity no longer applied to him.
His hair, affected by the Chakra, shed its dye and gradually turned white.
His tightly shut eyes seemed to contain a boundless reservoir of Chakra.
The pulsations in his eyes grew stronger, and the power within them became increasingly intense.
No one knew how much time had passed, but eventually, the flow of Chakra began to subside.
Minamoto's body gently descended to the ground.
The next moment, he opened his eyes.
A dazzling blue light, as if containing the brilliance of the stars, shone within them.
(End of Chapter)
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