As dusk fell, Aozora dispelled his six Kage Bunshin.
A rush of memories flooded in at once, leaving him slightly dizzy.
After a while, he finally regained his senses and began massaging his temples while sorting through the experiences gained by his six clones.
The first clone had made progress in [Projection Technique], but advancement in [Phantom Nine Dragon Sealing Method] was worrying. Perhaps this was also one of the reasons why Akatsuki hadn't started capturing tailed beasts yet—after all, it's an S-rank sealing technique, and even if broken down into parts, it's not easy to learn.
The second clone had grasped basic healing techniques and was studying [Mystical Palm Technique], showing promising potential.
The third clone had hit a roadblock while learning Earth Release Ninjutsu because he chose [Earth Release: Great Stone Wall of Captivity], which wasn't an ordinary B-rank Earth Release technique but rather a complicated technique involving both Earth Release and barriers. Aozora simply lacked knowledge regarding barriers.
The fourth clone was struggling since his chakra nature didn't include wind attribute, though it was still possible to learn, just difficult.
The fifth clone was progressing moderately well and had learned [Lightning Ball], a basic Lightning Release technique. However, it didn't trigger any feedback from the Heavenly Book.
The sixth clone had studied for hours without making much progress. He believed [Kujaku] was developed based on the meteorite of the Star Ninja Village, so to research this technique, he must first locate the meteorite of the Star Ninja Village.
"It seems my talent primarily lies within Fire Release ([Katon]). But that doesn't mean I should slack off on other ninjutsu skills. Without natural talent, I can use Kage Bunshin to grind experience points. Eventually, there will be results."
Seeing minimal gains, Aozora remained undiscouraged and gave himself a pep talk before heading to the kitchen to cook dinner.
He moved unhurriedly, knowing after a leap in strength, what was needed next was consolidation—rebuilding foundational skills.
The reason he reached Kage-level strength was merely because the Homura Chakra infused with natural energy was just too overwhelming.
In reality, his overall abilities hadn't reached the Kage level; his chakra reserves had barely crossed the threshold required for Kage status, and his [Genjutsu], [Taijutsu], and [Defensive Capabilities] were still at the Elite Jonin level.
Not long after entering the kitchen, mouthwatering smells started filling the air.
Shisui, worn out from a day's work, pushed open the door and caught the scent, immediately brightening up.
"Aozora, you're back?"
"Pfft, duh!" Aozora replied from inside the kitchen. "Go rest first. The meal will be ready soon."
When the meal was prepared, Shisui looked at the lavish dinner and asked, "Did you make all this food without considering I might go on a mission?"
Aozora scoffed, saying, "What is there to worry about? With this little food, I can finish it alone easily."
Shisui was taken aback but then remembered his younger brother's bottomless stomach no matter how much he ate.
Chuckling, he picked up his chopsticks and tasted two dishes. The flavors exploded on his tongue—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy—and for a moment, he closed his eyes in blissful contentment.
After a bit, he opened his eyes and praised, "Aozora, I feel your culinary skills have improved!"
Aozora gave Shisui a deadpan stare, muttering under his breath, "It's only been a few days since you last had my cooking. Do you really need to exaggerate like that?"
"What do you mean 'a few days'? More than half a month has gone by!" Shisui said while eating.
Curiosity arose as he asked, "Where've you been these past few days?"
Aozora casually said after finishing his meal, "I need to go out of the village for something. By the way, even though I've been stripped of my ninja status, the clan leader still values me and asked me to help with some family matters."
Aozora wasn't lying, but combining those two statements made it easy for people to misunderstand that he had been handling clan affairs during this period.
Sure enough, Shisui misunderstood and encouraged him happily, "Then you should work hard for the clan!"
Although Aozora himself seemed to have considerable savings, Shisui still hoped he would have something to occupy his time rather than being immersed in sadness over losing his ninja status.
"Of course!"
When mentioning clan affairs, Aozora suddenly thought of something and hurriedly brought a plate of Shisui's favorite dish to him.
"Brother, there's something I need your help with!"
It had already been half a month since he attended that meeting. The Wolong Unit should have completed most of their training by now, and it was time to consider letting them participate in the Sharingan Awakening Ritual.
With Fugaku absent, counting through everyone in Konoha he knew, Aozora recognized only Shisui as a master of genjutsu. Although Kagenbi had awakened his Three Tomoe Sharingan during the battle on the front line, he was still far inferior to both Shisui and Fugaku.
Without asking any questions, Shisui directly agreed, "No problem!"
Seeing this, Aozora smiled and said, "You're the top master of genjutsu in Konoha..."
"That's not necessarily true. I think the Clan Leader's genjutsu is no worse than mine, and there are many experts in the village," Shisui shook his head.
"Well, you're definitely better than me!" Aozora replied. "Right now, I need a genjutsu master to create a trial for some clan members."
"Oh? You want to give some clan members a trial?" Shisui asked with interest.
Aozora locked eyes with Shisui and earnestly said, "Brother, you've honored the forehead protector on your brow, but maybe not quite lived up to the clan crest on your clothes! This time, I'm giving you an opportunity to contribute to the clan."
Upon hearing this, Shisui fell into thought for a moment and bowed his head. After a while, he raised his head again and said, "Then I really should thank you this time."
"No need for thanks," Aozora replied. "Just make sure the illusionary world you construct feels real enough!"
Using the mealtime opportunity, Aozora explained further, "This isn't just a simple task. For every candidate undergoing the test, you'll have to construct a complete genjutsu space involving many different figures..."
Shisui listened quietly and occasionally asked questions about specific details.
Afterward, Shisui and Aozora engaged in casual conversation, chatting about various topics. During this time, Shisui updated Aozora about recent developments in Konoha.
Unexpectedly, Hidden Cloud had agreed to Hidden Leaf's peace negotiations. However, rather than conducting the talks in the Hidden Cloud Village, they planned to send an envoy delegation to Konoha to directly discuss terms with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen didn't hesitate much before immediately accepting this arrangement.
Seeing this development, Hidden Stone withdrew its main forces once again, and now had pulled its troops back to the border of the Land of Earth.
With the situation taking such a positive turn, Hiruzen gradually began recalling the shinobi from the Cloud Front Line to the village.
Each batch of returning ninja received a hero's welcome, and each ninja who came back gained substantial rewards. Their subsequent spending boosted the prosperity of Konoha.
For a time, the entire village became lively and vibrant, with villagers' faces increasingly filled with happiness.
Aozora let out a sigh and said with a smirk, "After organizing so many welcomes already, who's going to want to do it again once the clan leader returns?"
Welcoming heroes was fine once or twice, but doing it three, four, five times in a row would definitely become annoying and dull.
Compared to the Northeastern Front's efforts against Hidden Cloud, the Northwestern Front had actually produced far better results. Yet after Sarutobi's handling of things, Fugaku's triumphant return to the village would lose much of its glory.
Shisui wanted to say something upon hearing this, but since Aozora hadn't directly criticized anyone, he found himself at a loss for words.
Soon, only clean plates remained on the table. After setting down his chopsticks, Aozora added, "There's another thing I need to mention."
Shisui straightened up. "Go ahead."
"That vicious Corpse Crow from the Ninja Ravens Clan before—they weren't completely destroyed, right?" Aozora asked.
Shisui nodded. "Right. It's a pity about all that chakra within that Corpse Crow."
Aozora continued, "[Restored its Sentience] recently by sheer coincidence. After regaining awareness, it reached the strength of an Elite Jonin. You can summon it if you ever need backup..."
Before he finished speaking, Aozora had already risen and headed upstairs.
Looking at the messy table, Shisui felt slightly resentful toward the Third.
If Sarutobi hadn't stripped Aozora of his ninja status, he wouldn't have ended up like this—so careless about daily chores. Back then, he used to wash dishes without being asked.
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