Chapter 359

Chapter 359: Chapter 359

Fugaku’s eyes ominously shifted from their usual obsidian to a glowing red. The three tomoe of his Sharingan spun as he observed me carefully. The deliberate way his eyes rotated felt as though years of brutal warfare were actively reflected within them, projecting an ocean of experience that few could rival in the art of violence, or in the precise study of an enemy to assess the absolute best way to end them.

I gulped in nervousness while looking into those lethal eyes. I decided to distract myself by taking a look internally to analyze my own chakra network, and the result was staggering. I was currently sitting in what felt like a low-powered, passive Stormdrive state.

It was an incredible realization. It meant I could kick things into high gear immediately without any start-up delay, all while maintaining a highly lethal baseline. This also provided an incredible secondary benefit. Due to the constant, active flow my chakra was always in now, I was basically immune to genjutsu.

Second, because the seal formation continuously consumed a microscopic amount of chakra to maintain this standby state, my reserves were never sitting idle at maximum capacity like a standard shinobi. Instead, my chakra coils were locked in a perpetual cycle of minor depletion and regeneration. Like a muscle under constant, low-level resistance training, my natural chakra recovery rate would passively and permanently improve over time.

I grinned, feeling deeply satisfied. Fugaku caught the subtle change in my demeanor instantly, and as my expression brightened, his rigid posture relaxed just a fraction.

"You have grown incredibly powerful," Fugaku noted, his red eyes tracking my chakra and muscle movements. "Your chakra reserves have increased immensely. Not to mention, I feel that your body possesses much more potential energy now. It is as if you can execute techniques faster and with a lot more..."

He trailed off, staring blankly at the desk for a second as his exhausted brain frantically searched for the appropriate tactical term.

"...kick?"

Behind me, Itachi chuckled almost imperceptibly, highly amused as if he were thinking, "Did my dad really just say ’kick’ like that?".

Fugaku, however, merely nodded, looking pleased. "That would simplify things. How proficient are you now with the Flying Thunder God jutsu?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. In reality, I had not yet constructed the unified equation that defined my location in space and linked it to my target marks. However, I could feel my cognitive processing speed operating at an entirely new level, and the core concept was already mapped out in my mind from before I etched the seal formation onto my body.

"It should not take much time to be able to use it normally," I replied. "But I will require a little bit more practice to figure out my absolute limits."

Shikaku and Hirotaka observed me closely before the Jonin Commander spoke up. "Good. Take the time you need to master it, but you will have to multitask. First, you need to train Itachi, Kakashi, and Shisui on the basics. They have studied fuinjutsu to a satisfactory level, and you can iron out the remaining flaws. They do not need to be grandmasters. They simply must understand the specific seals required for the Flying Thunder God."

I signaled my understanding as he pushed forward.

"Second, while you are doing that, I want you to use your shadow clones to produce explosive, storage, barrier, and concealment tags. As many as you can physically manage."

"Should be easy enough," I agreed.

Hirotaka picked up the thread, his wide, Buddha-like smile returning in full force. "Such an accomplished young man you are! I knew Sena would not stick to someone who is average." He laughed boisterously. "Your third task, after mastering the jutsu and training the Jonin trio, is logistics. I want you to test your teleportation limits by transporting a massive amount of goods and supplies throughout the Land of Fire and our allied nations. This is absolutely crucial."

A bead of sweat formed on my brow. That was an insane workload. Then again, it was not like I could voice any objections. The village had effectively lost one of its very few fuinjutsu masters because I had disappeared into a coma for over two months, so I wisely kept my mouth shut.

Fugaku stepped back into the conversation, his tone turning dead serious. "Your final task in this plan is that I will be sending you on missions to the Land of Waterfalls, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Rain. Use that opportunity to leave Flying Thunder God marks all over the Land of Fire and throughout those nations as well."

A nostalgic smile appeared on his face. "Minato did the same back then."

My heart nearly stalled in my chest at the mention of that final destination. I really, really hope I do not cross paths with Pain, I thought frantically. I remembered him being an absolute nightmare. I was definitely going to need to meditate and dig up every obscure detail about his abilities beyond just his ultimate planetary devastation and almighty push.

"May I ask why those specific locations?" I inquired, desperately fishing for a valid excuse to escape the Land of Rain assignment.

Fugaku sighed heavily, leaning back into his chair and gazing out the office window. "Since we established solid relations with Suna, Kusagakure, and the daimyos of their lands, the Land of Earth has become increasingly aggressive. They feel like Konoha, and by extension the Land of Fire, is tightening a noose around their neck. As a result, they have been lashing out at the countries bordering us. They are testing our defenses and running us through a high-tension stress test to gauge our strength and force us to spread our ranks thin. That is not to mention probing our strategic plans, all while trying to ruin our trade networks to punish anyone siding with Konoha."

My eyes narrowed slightly as a smug, deeply exhausted smile crept onto his face.

"Like I would be bothered enough to personally strangle Onoki. He will probably die on his own in a few years anyway just from how ancient he is."

The profoundly unprofessional remark slipped past Fugaku’s filter purely due to his sheer exhaustion, but he quickly re-centered himself.

"We have been keeping their forces at bay for now," he continued. "However, while actual fatalities remain low, they are causing us a significant number of injuries and extensive structural damage. The merchants have been pleased with our performance so far, but in time, they will start to worry, and that will negatively affect our trade volume. Furthermore, our intelligence suggests Iwa is preparing for a major push to accomplish exactly that. I need my strongest shinobi present on the frontlines to kick them back and inflict enough devastation to force that stubborn old man to stay put."

He locked eyes with me. "You and Shisui already dealt a tremendous blow to them during the Land of Waves mission. I need you to deliver a few more of those decisive hits."

I let out a nervous chuckle. That particular mission had nearly broken my psyche, so I was not exactly thrilled to repeat the experience.

Oblivious to my internal dread, the Hokage continued. "Either way, it is a perfect opportunity to show the Land of Wind and our other allies that we have their backs, and that they can truly depend on us."

I exhaled slowly, processing the earth-shattering information. Thinking back, it looked like Ayaka was absolutely right about her hunch. I could feel the tension in the air now. Something massive was cresting on the horizon.

"I have slept for long enough," I stated, firming my resolve. "I am perfectly rested and ready to deploy."

Fugaku voiced his approval. "Excellent. Get back home and start making your arrangements. I will dispatch an ANBU with the schedule outlining when your new trainees are available. Please do your best with them."

I offered a respectful bow. "I will, Lord Hokage. Thank you for your trust."

Fugaku waved his hand dismissively. "You earned it through your accomplishments on and off the battlefield. But I do have one unrelated question."

I tilted my head, waiting for him to continue.

"Why do you have bruises all over your body?"

Again, Itachi chuckled from his position behind me, this time a little bit more audibly.

I rubbed my neck, wincing slightly. "Ah, you know... my loved ones were... aggressively excited to see me after my long absence."

Fugaku actually laughed out loud. It was genuinely amazing to see him this relaxed. Exhaustion definitely helped strip away his usual stoic guard, but no longer living under the constant threat of persecution had done wonders for him. Shedding the label of a suspected traitor and no longer being pressured by his own clan to fit the treacherous image the village held of them had worked absolute magic on his overall demeanor, breathing life back into his complexion and smoothing out the deep stress lines etched into his face.

"Well, you will have an enormous surprise waiting for you soon, so look forward to it," the Hokage said. A mysterious smirk crossed his face, and he firmly locked his jaw, refusing to reveal anything else.

I turned to Shikaku for a hint, but the Jonin Commander was already drowning in his sprawling war map again, a dark shadow obscuring his eyes.

Hirotaka broke the ensuing silence. "I am sure Sena will visit you soon enough. She asked about your condition daily. In the meantime, I will treat you and all your friends to a proper, highly nutritious meal at the best restaurant in the village. I bet you are absolutely famished judging by how lean you look right now. Go all out. The bill is on me."

My internal Stormdrive nearly exploded into full gear on the spot. My eyes flared with a bright blue hue as I bowed so fiercely my forehead almost dented the floorboards. It was a significantly deeper bow than the one I had given Fugaku, a detail the Hokage clearly found highly amusing judging by the entertained smirk on his face.

"Thank you, Hirotaka-sama!"

He chuckled loudly, offering my shoulder one last firm pat before I was officially dismissed. The three leaders immediately dived back into their paperwork. I turned toward the exit and rolled my shoulders to loosen the remaining stiffness, mentally preparing myself for the chaotic days to come.