Chapter 853 : Passing the Torch?

Surprise appeared on Fujin's face as he heard the news from Monkey. Fujin glanced in the direction of Hokage Building and thought, ‘Now that's something I never expected to see. And to think that this happened without my direct intervention too. I wonder what happened to make Hiruzen, Koharu and Homura leave the council at the same time…’

Knowing their natures, Fujin could only think of one possible reason. He realized, ‘The Uchiha Massacre… Hiruzen must have informed Tsunade about the truth. Itachi's little visit must be the trigger. To think he'd do this after surviving…’

This realization surprised Fujin as much as the news. He knew very well that neither Homura nor Koharu would willingly give up their seats. However, he didn't expect Hiruzen to tell anyone about his biggest failure either. If the truth were to come to light, much of Hiruzen's reputation would be destroyed irrespective of how much he had done for the village… It was a big risk Hiruzen took.

Similarly, Tsunade was quite decisive as well. She swiftly eliminated the positions of the elders and even did it in a way that it looked like a natural succession of power. Of course, the more keen minds would find it odd and be suspicious, but connecting the dots to the Uchiha Massacre was more or less impossible unless one already knew the truth like Fujin did. That said, Fujin didn't completely agree with Tsunade's decision.

Fujin thought, ‘While she was very decisive, she also gave up on some free labour… Koharu and Homura's situations are much different than in the original story. My existence and frequent clashes with them have lowered their prestige and standing considerably.

If we ever clashed like I did with Danzo, the clan leaders will take my side. Be it because of my youth, any past differences they may have with the elders or they'd just prefer to deal with someone younger and less experienced than those two old schemers.

As a result, they were under a lot of pressure to keep their power. How readily they agreed to accept the tiresome responsibilities of implementing the changes to the academy just proves that. Instead of taking away their seats, she could have worked them until they retired voluntarily. Oh well, her choice. It's not like I have to go do the work.’

Fujin said, “Thank you for letting me know. Is there something else?”
Monkey answered, “No. Everything else in the village is as usual.”

Fujin sent him away. Just like Fujin, the other council members were informed about the same before the news slowly spread throughout the village. Most viewed it as the older generation passing the torch to the next one. However, the council members knew very well how much the elders loved their powers.

Shikaku couldn't help but wonder, ‘Exactly what did she have to make both of them retire? Whatever it is must also incriminate Lord Third or perhaps is bad for the village and he gave up his seat to prevent any bad blood. Though, it is also possible he did it just due to his injuries. With his eldest son taking his seat in the council, he won't be losing much influence unlike the other two.’

Others had similar guesses. In the training ground, Fujin muttered internally, ‘Quite a lot of strange events are occuring. I need to learn these jutsus quickly. I can master it at a later date. It's time to do that…’

Fujin spent a couple more days training. The speed at which his hair grew increased considerably, though it was far from Jiraiya's level or even a level Fujin deemed sufficient to use against rank S ninjas. Regardless, he learnt the Wild Lion's Mane jutsu, Needle Jizo jutsu, Hair Needle Senbon jutsu and Needle Hell jutsu in those two days.

On the next day, instead of going to the Training Ground, Fujin entered his basement and sat in front of a pot. Sensing the Shukaku's chakra sealed within the pot, Fujin sighed, ‘Again, it has barely increased. It was 7.5% when I returned to the village. It's been 2 weeks and it hasn't even reached 7.6%...

No point in waiting any more. I didn't do it earlier because I needed Tsunade's help to increase my cellular activity. As I suspected, that process allowed her to inspect my body and chakra thoroughly. If my chakra reserves had grown that much, she'd have noticed. She could have even connected it with Shukaku if there's any lingering chakra left after I absorb it. But, now that it's done, I have no more reservations. It's time to see the Myriad Tetragram Seal in action!’

Fujin's expression became very serious. At the next moment, thousands of seals lit up in the large basement, isolating his basement from everything else. The density of seals was so ridiculously high that his basement was almost like a different space! Under Fujin's control, the seals on the pot started disappearing, and a dense, swirling mass of chakra floated out.

The chakra was a murky golden-brown, with streaks of black pulsating through it like veins. It seemed alive, constantly shifting and writhing as if seeking an outlet for its chaotic energy. Occasional wisps broke away from the main mass, releasing a faint hiss as they dissolved into the air. A faint pressure filled the basement, as though the chakra carried a primal, untamed essence. Had it not been for the seals in Fujin's house, every sensor and experienced ninja in Konoha would have felt the pressure and run towards Fujin's house to investigate!

Fujin observed it for a couple of minutes, his sharp eyes analyzing every detail. He thought, ‘Tsk… there's no sign of intelligence or consciousness, yet the chakra is so feral! As expected of a Tailed Beast's chakra.

The streaks of black are probably the remnants of Shukaku's malice, though at this size, it seems harmless. If this chakra had been twice or thrice its current size, I suspect it would have coalesced into something resembling an evil spirit irrespective of whether it developed intelligence. Perhaps I could experiment with that later. I don't think Shukaku or his siblings would mind it much.’

Fujin chuckled as new ideas flooded into his mind. He extended his left palm towards the chakra. A seal appeared on his palm and Shukaku's chakra was sucked into it. In the blink of an eye, the pressure in the basement disappeared and calmness returned. Closing his eyes, Fujin returned to his inner world.

Fujin's inner world was quite different from when he visited it the first time. Unlike the pitch-black darkness that filled his inner world initially, a faint glow illuminated most of his inner world now.

There were two sources that illuminated his inner world. The first was the artificial chakra lake. The lake was no longer empty. Instead, 20% of it was already filled! Until a few days ago, that would have been over 9 times Fujin's normal chakra reserves! However, due to the recent boost to his chakra reserves, it was just over 7 times Fujin's chakra reserves.

Since Fujin hadn't done intense training after the attack on the village, he always kept storing small portions of his chakra in the lake whenever he could. He had to be careful when he was on the march, but Fujin spent over a couple of weeks in the Land of Fire negotiating with Sunagakure and over a week and half experimenting with Tsunade. This was why the lake filled so quickly.

The second source of light was a new one. Until a few moments ago, the sphere in the sky of Fujin's inner world was completely empty. However, it now contained over 7.5% of Shukaku's chakra and emitted a yellow light.

Observing the sphere, Fujin raised an eyebrow and muttered, “Weird… There shouldn't be any light emitting from the sphere… Also, why is the light so dim? If it is being lit due to the chakra, shouldn't it be much brighter?”

Fujin carefully observed the sphere and realized, ‘I see. The sphere is completely suppressing Shukaku's chakra. Does it mean how bright the light is depends on how strong the chakra sealed inside it is? Perhaps had it been Kurama, the sphere might have looked like a mini-Sun. Still, why is the sphere emitting light? Based on my seals, nothing should have been emi… Eh?’

Fujin immediately noticed a couple more things that surprised him. The first one, he had expected, but the second caught him off guard.

As soon as it appeared, the sphere began refining Shukaku's chakra so that it could become compatible with Fujin and be absorbed by him with little to no backlash or side-effects. However, Shukaku's chakra was fighting back as Fujin predicted. What surprised Fujin was how intensely it was fighting back!

Fujin thought, ‘I didn't expect such a fierce struggle from chakra that doesn't have any sentience. If this is how intense 7.5% of Shukaku's chakra is, how intense would be a complete Tailed Beast? Fuck, it's resistance is stronger than the sphere's refinement. The sphere can't refine it all!’

[A/N: Next chapter in a few hours.]