Chapter 344: Namikaze Minato, A Capable Right Hand Man; Two Daughters, Each With Her Own Strengths [HN]

The smoke of battle over the Broken Blade Mountains gradually dispersed, but the air was still filled with the pungent smell of scorched earth and shattered metal.

With his disciples supporting him, Namikaze Minato’s face was pale, but his eyes remained sharp as he swept across the battlefield and confirmed the final situation.

“Kakashi, your most important objective when you infiltrated the base earlier…”

Minato’s voice carried a hint of fatigue, but his intention was clear.

Kakashi calmly nodded when he heard this.

He formed a simple hand seal and gave a low shout.

A figure appeared before them.

It was the Shadow Clone he had previously sent to carry out the core mission.

The Shadow Clone looked somewhat battered, but it was tightly holding a sealed metal box and several thick scrolls.

“Well done, despite everything.”

The Shadow Clone handed over the box and scrolls, then disappeared with a poof.

The memories and fatigue of the clone instantly surged into Kakashi’s mind, allowing him to quickly process everything.

“This is what I found in the Sky nin’s core archive room and energy laboratory. It includes some aircraft blueprints, preliminary research data on the dark energy and Zero Tails’ Chakra, as well as some experimental records concerning their search for and utilization of special Natural Energy.”

Kakashi presented the items to Minato.

The box and scrolls felt heavy in Minato’s hands, as though they carried the Sky nin’s years of ambition and forbidden research.

He carefully checked the seals and confirmed that they were completely intact.

Only then did a trace of relief finally appear on his pale face.

“Well done, Kakashi, and everyone else.”

Minato’s gaze swept over the Konoha ninjas who had gathered around him.

Kakashi, Obito, Rin, Guy, Genma, Aoba, Raidō, Anko, Ebisu, and the others all had the fatigue of battle written across their young faces, but what showed even more clearly was their excitement at completing the mission and their relief at surviving the ordeal.

“We did not let the Hokage down!”

Might Guy raised his thumb, a flash of white teeth showing through his grin.

Despite the injuries covering his body, his spirits were extremely high.

“This is the victory of youth!”

“Guy, quiet down. Minato Sensei needs to rest.”

Rin helplessly reminded him while continuing to channel Chakra and treat Minato’s exhausted body.

Uchiha Obito looked at the information in Minato’s hands, curiosity and excitement flashing in his Sharingan.

“With all this, Konoha’s technology will definitely become even more advanced!”

Minato looked at these energetic younger comrades, his heart filled with satisfaction.

He smiled gently and gave the order.

“Clean up the battlefield, recover all valuable intelligence and equipment, and prepare to return to Konoha!”

“Yes!”

Everyone answered together with high morale.

…

Konoha Village, Hokage’s Office.

Uchiha Chiya sat behind his spacious desk and listened to Namikaze Minato give a concise report on the entire operation to eliminate the Sky nin base.

Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Fugaku, and several other senior officials were also listening nearby.

When they heard about Zero Tails’ terrifying attack, which had condensed the strange Natural Energy, and how Minato had risked exhausting his Chakra to use the Extreme Guiding technique of the Flying Thunder God to redirect it, even Chiya’s eyes became slightly more serious.

The report came to an end.

Chiya’s gaze fell upon the metal box and scrolls that had been carefully placed on the desk.

“You all did very well.”

Chiya’s voice was calm and powerful as he looked at Minato and then at Kakashi, Guy, and the other support team members standing nearby.

“Not only did you successfully destroy the Sky nin base and seize important information, you also protected your comrades and defended Konoha’s dignity. Especially you, Minato. Your decision at the critical moment prevented enormous losses.”

His gaze swept over Kakashi and the others.

“And you as well, Kakashi, Obito, Rin, Guy, Genma, and the others. The courage, intelligence, and teamwork you displayed during this mission have proven the strength of Konoha’s new generation. The village is proud of you.”

Receiving the Hokage’s personal praise filled the young ninjas, especially Kakashi and the others, with indescribable excitement and pride.

Even Kakashi, who was usually calm, slightly curved his eyes.

Obito almost jumped up in excitement, but Rin quietly tugged at his clothes.

“This is what we should have done, Lord Hokage!”

Everyone answered together, their voices filled with determination.

Chiya nodded slightly and said to Shikaku, “Shikaku, arrange rest rotations and medical follow up. Make sure every ninja who participated in the mission gets enough rest and treatment. Submit the merit and reward proposal to me as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Lord Hokage.”

Shikaku bowed and accepted the order.

“All right. You can go rest now. Thank you for your hard work this time.”

Chiya spoke gently to Kakashi and the others.

“Yes, Lord Hokage!”

The young ninjas respectfully bowed before leaving the office with excitement.

Only Chiya and Minato remained in the office.

Chiya gestured for Minato to sit down and personally poured him a glass of water.

“How are you feeling?”

He asked with concern in his voice.

“My Chakra consumption was rather high, but Rin already gave me some initial treatment. A few days of rest should be enough.”

Minato took the glass and thanked him.

Chiya nodded, his expression becoming serious again.

“Regarding the Natural Energy you sensed at the end, and the source of the energy when Zero Tails erupted, did you discover anything more specific?”

Minato put down his glass and seriously recalled what had happened before explaining.

“Lord Hokage, when I was fighting against Zero Tails’ core, I carefully sensed it through Sage Mode. That violent Natural Energy had a similar manifestation to the energy Sasori used, but its deeper quality was different. It did not appear completely out of nowhere, nor was it generated entirely by Zero Tails itself. At the very beginning of its eruption, my Sage perception detected an extremely faint yet unusually deep guiding fluctuation. Its source seemed to come from extremely deep underground.”

He paused before continuing.

“It was as though it had been forcibly extracted from a special node within the earth’s leyline, distorted, and then injected into Zero Tails. The Sky nin’s technology may contain some method of guiding or amplifying this abnormal Natural Energy within the earth’s leyline.”

“Underground… a leyline node…”

Chiya lightly tapped his fingers against the desk, a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.

“This seems to form an interesting contrast with the clue pointing toward a celestial coordinate that Orochimaru deciphered from the Regeneration Core. One points upward toward the moon, while the other points downward into the earth.”

He looked at Minato and revealed his plan.

“Minato, this incident has further proven the necessity of promoting the Ninja World Federation. This kind of unknown energy threat is not something Konoha can handle alone. I plan to use the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Grass as pilot regions and establish a Federation Demonstration Zone.”

He walked to the wall where the map of the ninja world was displayed and pointed toward the two countries.

“The Land of Hot Springs has good relations with us and possesses unique hot spring resources and geographical conditions. We can have the Medical Corps and Scientific Academy cooperate to develop Chakra hot spring therapy facilities and monitoring stations for abnormal Natural Energy.”

“The Land of Grass is located at an important transportation crossroads and has long sought protection. We can provide them with civilian scientific ninja tools to strengthen their border defenses and invite them to join the Transnational Young Ninja Exchange Program, allowing them to personally experience the security and development that comes from integrating into the Konoha system.”

“Through real benefits and shared security needs, we can gradually integrate the surrounding forces and form an alliance network centered on Konoha. Once this network becomes strong and closely connected enough, Kumogakure and Iwagakure will have far fewer choices. Peace cannot rely on deterrence alone. It must also be maintained through shared interests and a common vision.”

Namikaze Minato listened to Chiya’s clear and far reaching plans, and the admiration in his eyes grew even stronger.

He saw not only the Hokage’s immense personal strength, but also his vision beyond the current era and his practical strategy.

“I completely agree with your plan, Lord Hokage. This will become the foundation for bringing true peace to the ninja world. If there is anything you need me to carry out, please give the order.”

Chiya nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. You can participate in the initial contact with the Hidden Hot Spring and Hidden Grass Villages together with Shikaku. Your abilities and reputation will be very beneficial to advancing this matter.”

“Yes!”

Minato stood up and accepted the order.

“Go home and rest properly. Recovering your condition is the most important thing.”

Minato bowed once more before turning and leaving the office.

As he watched Minato leave, Chiya felt even greater reliance on this capable subordinate.

Afterward, Chiya summoned an ANBU member and pointed toward the metal box and scrolls on the desk.

“Take these materials to the Scientific Academy immediately and personally deliver them to Director Orochimaru. Tell him that these are the Sky nin’s research materials concerning the abnormal Natural Energy and Zero Tails. They may provide additional information and inspiration for his research.”

“Yes!”

The ANBU member picked up the materials and instantly disappeared.

After finishing his official duties, the sky outside was already approaching dusk.

Chiya stretched his somewhat stiff body.

With a flash of his figure, he disappeared from the Hokage’s Office.

…

Uchiha Clan District, Chiya’s residence.

Unlike the solemn atmosphere of the Hokage Tower, this place was filled with warmth and tranquility.

Chiya quietly appeared in the courtyard.

As soon as he entered the living room, he heard Tsunade’s voice, which carried a hint of reproach but could not hide her smile.

“Look who’s finally back. Our very busy Lord Hokage.”

Tsunade was holding little Mirai while sitting on a soft couch.

Little Mirai waved her chubby little arms and made babbling sounds, her large black eyes curiously looking around.

Mikoto was sitting nearby with little Chimi in her arms.

Chimi was still quiet, but her large eyes, which closely resembled Mikoto’s, also turned toward Chiya when she heard his voice.

“Are you finished with everything?”

Mikoto gently asked as she pushed a cup of freshly brewed tea toward Chiya.

“Yes. It’s settled for now.”

Chiya took the teacup and felt the warmth against his fingertips.

As he looked at his wife and daughters, a relaxed and genuine smile naturally appeared on his face.

He sat down beside Tsunade and reached out to tease little Mirai in her arms.

“Little Mirai, were you a good girl today?”

Little Mirai became even more excited and waved her arms.

Her little mouth opened and she once again produced a clear sound.

“Pa… Pa!”

“Haha, did you hear that? She called me Papa again!”

Chiya laughed heartily.

The fatigue in his heart seemed to disappear completely beneath that childish voice.

He carefully took Mirai from Tsunade’s arms and lifted her high into the air.

Then he gently brought her back into his arms and rubbed his cheek against her tender little face.

Tsunade watched the scene with a happy smile on her lips and tenderness in her eyes.

She turned toward Chimi in Mikoto’s arms and spoke softly.

“Chimi, look how amazing your sister is. You have to work hard too.”

At that moment, Chimi seemed to notice the bright red apple on the fruit plate.

Her black eyes stared intently at the apple, and her pale little hand unconsciously moved slightly toward it.

Without any warning, the apple seemed to be moved by an invisible finger and trembled slightly.

Immediately afterward, an extremely fine scratch appeared on the surface.

A thin piece of apple peel, almost transparent and as delicate as a cicada’s wing, quietly peeled away as though it had been cut by the most precise carving knife.

It gently fell onto the soft cloth covering the table.

The entire process was completely silent.

If not for the fact that all three adults had exceptionally sharp senses, they might not have noticed it at all.

Chiya, Tsunade, and Mikoto immediately turned their attention toward it.

A trace of surprise flashed through Chiya’s eyes.

He put Mirai down and walked over to Mikoto.

He looked down at the almost transparent piece of apple peel and then at Chimi’s pure and innocent eyes, which seemed to have no idea what she had done.

“This level of control…”

Tsunade also walked over, her voice filled with disbelief.

“It’s not just Chakra threads anymore…”

“It looks like Chimi has improved again.”

Mikoto hugged her daughter tightly, pride filling her eyes as a mother, though there was also a trace of hidden worry.

“Chiya-nii, Chimi…”

Chiya reached out and gently stroked Chimi’s soft hair, feeling the calm Chakra within her body.

He raised his head and looked at Tsunade and Mikoto.

His eyes were gentle yet firm.

“Don’t worry.”

His voice was low and powerful, carrying a reassuring calmness.

“This may be Chimi’s unique talent, a gift from heaven. Mirai is lively and cheerful, with tremendous vitality and a physique far beyond children her age. Chimi is quiet and reserved, with extremely precise control. They are both our pride.”

He leaned down and gently kissed Chimi and Mirai on the forehead.

“All we need to do is protect them and guide them. We must let them use their strength to create and protect, and let them grow up surrounded by love and sunlight.”

Hearing Chiya’s conclusion, the two women felt slightly relieved, their hearts filled with warmth.

Outside the window, the lights of Konoha gradually illuminated one after another like stars protecting this land, also lighting up the warm scene inside the house.