247Destiny GatheringAI Model: kimi-k2-instruct-0905Chapter 247 – Tianming Gathering
After exhausting Yamato last time, Naruto stuffed him with study materials for an entire night.
But now that the Tianming Organization and Konoha are working together, there's no need to use the Mangekyo Sharingan for hypnosis anymore.
It just doesn't feel right.
If Konoha's only Wood Release Ninja were to meet an accident, Naruto would be facing a combined beating from Jiraiya and Tsunade.
A knock sounded.
Naruto entered the Hokage Office, greeted Tsunade and Shizune, and got down to business.
'The Tianming Organization wants to hire Yamatofor a while.'
Besides teaching Uchiha Ki, Yamato's three-bedroom jutsu is also what En Yui needs.
'Oh?'
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. 'What's the price?'
'How about one million?'
Naruto tossed out the minimum rate for an S-rank mission.
'Too low.'
Tsunade shook her head, solemn. 'Yamatopossesses the only Wood Release in the entire Ninja World; he's worth far more than an ordinary Ninja. You'll have to pay up.'
Ever since discovering Naruto was a member of the Tianming Organization, she'd seen him practically glowing with gold.
She didn't know exactly how many businesses they owned, but even the daimyo was on their roster.
The money was probably uncountable.
'Then five million.'
Naruto smiled without a care. 'Two million for the mission fee, three million as your middleman cut.'
Tsunade sucked in a breath, sending a certain area rippling.
What kind of fat cat is this?!
'Lady Tsunade, this violates protocol.'
Shizune hastily spoke up, stopping the two from their shady deal.
If this kept up, Konoha was doomed.
Who knew—one day Tsunade might even sell the Hokage seat to the Tianming Organization.
'What protocol?'
Tsunade put on a stern face. 'I'm the Hokage; I am the protocol. If you think it's improper, we can report it to the two hokage advisors for a decision.'
'…'
Shizune looked lifeless.
Weren't the two hokage advisors Naruto and Sasuke?
A line surfaced in her mind: the players and the referee are all my people—how do you fight me?
There's no hope left for Konoha.
Naruto silently gave a big thumbs-up.
As long as Konoha wasn't endangered, Tsunadewas a money-first woman.
Whoever refuses easy money is a damn fool.
Besides, she already owed several billion in gambling debts.
According to Kishimoto, Tsunade's debts roughly equaled Jiraiya's savings.
In the Ninja World, Jiraiya's novels sold well.
One can imagine how much she owed.
Naruto took the mission scroll and found Yamato.
'Secondment to the Tianming Organization for half a year?'
Yamato flipped through it and saw only that line, with no details about the actual work.
Too vague—nothing like the usual mission requests.
But the Hokage's seal wasn't a forgery.
Thinking of Lady Tsunade's usual style, he couldn't shake the feeling he'd been sold.
Two million was a decent price, though.
'Senior Yamato, come with me.'
Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Techniqueand appeared in front of the Langya Pavilion.
Yamato looked around.
Unfamiliar.
Still, he'd heard of the Langya Pavilion.
Seems this wasn't a combat mission.
'Senior Yamato, no matter what you see next, don't be frightened.'
Naruto gave him a heads-up.
Frightened?
Yamato couldn't help shaking his head.
With dual diplomas from Root and Anbu, he'd been professionally trained; nothing could scare him.
Naruto might be powerful and in the Tianming Organization, but after all he was still a teenager.
Lacked experience.
'Come in.'
Naruto, unaware of his thoughts, pushed open the door.
Yamato glanced left and right.
Scrolls and books everywhere.
What's scary about this?
Wait!
Yamato noticed a somewhat familiar silhouette.
He rubbed his eyes.
No mistake—it really was him.
Uchiha Itachi!
He instinctively formed hand signs, but Narutoblocked him.
'Don't worry.'
'What do you mean don't worry? That's Uchiha Itachi!'
Yamato stared, eyes wide.
The monster who single-handedly wiped out the entire Uchiha Clan.
Can you show some reaction?
You're making me look stupid.
As Itachi approached, Yamato suddenly saw him holding a little boy's hand.
What the—?
Yamato was shocked.
He couldn't connect the heinous rogue Ninja Itachi with a child.
'Who's this?'
Itachi noticed the dazed, square-faced Yamato, slightly puzzled.
For various reasons, he hadn't met Yamato like in the original.
'Ki's teacher.'
Naruto explained.
Itachi's brow furrowed slightly.
I asked you to fetch some Wood Release Ninjutsufrom Konoha, and you bring back a person?
'I'm to be his teacher?'
Yamato was equally baffled.
Two million just to tutor some kid—does the Tianming Organization have so much money they don't know where to spend it?
'Exactly.'
Naruto waved Uchiha Ki over. 'Ki is the most suitable student for you in the entire Ninja World—bar none.'
'What do you mean?'
Yamato still didn't think of Wood Release.
The Wood Release experiments had long been shut down.
Danzo and Orochimaru had parted ways, one in the grave, the other in hiding.
Even the Tianming Organization probably couldn't replicate the Wood Release experiment.
After all, back then it had only been a fluke that he himself survived.
'Ki, show him.'
Naruto smiled and said.
He raised his hand, activating Merlin's skill.
Uchiha Ki was too young and severely lacked Chakra.
Even with Hashirama cells, he couldn't be that outrageous.
Forcing him to use Ninjutsu would be asking the impossible.
Luckily, Merlin's skill could supply Chakra.
Ki slowly formed seals; as his Chakra flowed, a tender sprout emerged from thin air in front of him.
'Wood Release?!'
Yamato stared hard at the sapling.
Weak as it was, there was no mistake—it really was Wood Release.
Ki wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The sapling still didn't vanish.
'Is he from the Senju Clan?'
Yamato couldn't help guessing.
The idea came from Tsunade's inexplicable mission.
'No, his name is Uchiha Ki.'
'???'
Yamato looked thunderstruck.
He couldn't grasp how Wood Release could appear in an Uchiha with Sharingan.
Did this kid naturally possess two Bloodline Limits?
Coming to his senses, he finally understood why Naruto called him the perfect student.
But he was curious—how could the Uchiha have Wood Release?
Bloodline Limits are hereditary.
In other words, one of his parents must have Wood Release.
Thinking of this, Yamato asked, 'Who are his parents?'
Naruto paused and glanced at Itachi.
This wasn't something he should explain.
Besides, he worried Yamato couldn't take it.
Itachi was silent for a moment, then said matter-of-factly, 'He's my child.'
'???'
Yamato looked thunderstruck once more.
He began to suspect he was caught in Itachi's genjutsu.
Otherwise, how could something so outrageous happen?
Naruto shrugged.
We're just getting started.
But better not tell him Ki's mother is Orochimaru.
"Yamato-senpai, can I leave teaching him to you from here on?"
Naruto cut short his musings.
Yamato glanced at Uchiha Itachi, pulled him aside, and asked in a low voice, "He's Itachi's son—teaching him Wood Release won't violate Konoha's rules?"
"No problem, it'll be fine."
Naruto played his card: "I'm a hokage advisor, after all; I'd never do anything that harms Konoha."
Only then did Yamato remember that, on paper, the kid in front of him was technically his boss.
Since Tsunade had no objections either, he naturally agreed.
Naruto stepped forward and said to Uchiha Itachi, "He's currently the only Wood Release Ninja alive."
Uchiha Itachi was a little surprised.
Wood Release, huh.
But that was all.
He sensed no dangerous aura from Yamato, proof that the man's strength was limited.
Not everyone could be called Senju Hashirama.
In any case, Yamato moved into Langya Pavilion.
Most of his time was spent teaching Uchiha Ki, while the remainder was dispatched to Metropolisin the Land of Fire to help out.
En Yui was about to light the first of her three fires as a newly appointed official.
Land reclamation.
All territory held by the great nobles would be taken back and redistributed to the commoners.
Yamato's task was simple: build houses.
Of course, he wasn't alone.
There was a whole team of Earth Release Ninja.
Though not as direct as Wood Release, constructing houses wasn't particularly difficult.
The only pity was that Konoha didn't have many Earth Release Ninja.
The most famous one still alive was Kakashi.
In his previous life he'd been mocked as the Tsuchikage of Konoha.
But he had to stay with his daughter.
With Uchiha Ki's education settled, Naruto planned to convene a Tianming Organization meeting before Nagato launched his attack so everyone could get acquainted.
It was rather absurd when you thought about it.
Besides Naruto, none of the other members knew who their comrades were, nor what identities they hid behind.
Before the meeting, however, there was one matter to handle.
The Teleportation Array.
Although Naruto's strength was formidable, he wasn't great at improving Ninjutsu.
Perhaps his past-life mindset was too strong, making it hard to think like a Ninja.
Or maybe he simply had no talent for Ninjutsu.
After all, he'd always relied on the "Deep Blue" add-points system.
Even if he did trigger achievements through his own efforts.
After mulling it over, Naruto decided to draw a card.
The targeted draw from Danzo's active achievement reward hadn't been used yet.
Considering there might be a "Sister Nan" active achievement later, and that he didn't currently need anything urgently, he figured it was worth a try.
Besides, Teleportation Arrays counted as strategic super-weapons in the Ninja World.
They would be vital for the coming war.
[host, please specify a keyword for the draw.]
"Teleportation Array."
[Keyword detected, drawing… Congratulations, host: one item card obtained.]
[item card: Primeval Array.]
[Description: Permanent item card. With sufficient energy, erect an array; stepping in activates it, beginning a four-second chant, after which you appear at a preset destination.]
[Note: Acceptable energy includes Chakra, electricity, etc.]
The final note was a pleasant surprise.
Not everyone possessed Chakra, and maintaining the array might consume an unknown amount.
If it required one or two Kage-level units, almost no one could afford it.
But electricity avoided those complications.
Naruto used the card; a flood of information poured in.
After spending a few days familiarizing himself, he began erecting Primeval Arrays at every Tianming Organization base and property: Metropolis, Langya Pavilion, Konoha, Hozukijo, the Land of Waves, the Land of Demons, etc.
As for the meeting venue, he chose sky city.
After extensive repairs, it was almost fully restored.
As a hidden refuge, no one would disturb them.
On a bright, sunny day, Naruto and Sasuke sat on sky city's deck.
They'd arrived earliest.
Sasuke's eyes still hadn't fully fused, so he kept them bandaged.
Next came Naruto's three aliases: Merlin, Lord of Heavenless, and The Fool.
Karin was busy trying to join the Akatsuki Organization and couldn't come.
Uzumaki Menma and Kakuzu had both been idle lately; under the pretext of taking a bounty mission, they slipped out.
Zabuza, Haku, En Yui, Sasori, Karin, Shion, Mui, Neji, Hinata.
Including Naruto, sixteen members of Tianming were present.
"All right, everyone's here. Let's start with formal introductions—show your true identities," Narutosaid, clapping. "I'll go first: Uzumaki Naruto."
There wasn't much reaction.
His identity had mostly been exposed already.
The only thing no one knew was that several of his Shadow Clones were mixed in among them.
He didn't plan to reveal that yet.
He'd wait until everything was settled.
Otherwise, Zabuza and the others might feel they'd boarded a pirate ship.
So the so-called experts turned out to be the same person.
Turned out Tianming didn't have many members after all.
The earliest recruits, Zabuza and Haku, would probably be the most speechless.
After Naruto finished, the rest introduced themselves one by one.
Comparatively, En Yui's identity was the most shocking.
In inapt terms, it was like a husky slipping into a wolf pack.
Utterly out of place.
You're the daimyo—shouldn't you stand above tens of thousands?
Why join Tianming?
Kakuzu instinctively sized En Yui up.
Ahem—professional habit.
Everyone present carried hefty bounties, but the highest price was still on the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
"This meeting has two main items. First: reform in the Land of Fire. As time goes on, En Yui will increasingly infringe on noble interests, inevitably sparking unrest; we need some members to provide support."
Naruto wasted no words.
Meetings should be short and decisive.
"The rest will handle the Akatsuki Organization. According to Uzumaki Menma's intel, their leader will personally make a move, and his first target will be the Jinchuriki Gaara—or rather, IchibiShukaku."
Because of his butterfly effect, Pein's invasion of Konoha had shifted to Sunagakure.
At least for Tsunade and the others, that was good news.
The meeting lasted only ten minutes.
Most of the talking came from Naruto and his Shadow Clones.
The rest spoke little.
Sasuke, Haku, Sasori—silent Ninja types.
Karin, Shion, Hinata didn't know much about the situation.
Afterward, Naruto gave Hinata a private briefing in a side room.
He explained Tianming's structure, background, and so on.
In the end, she ran out of the room, face flushed.