Chapter 839 : The Most Valuable Resource!

Hiruzen was left in shock when he heard of the various events that had happened. From Kusagakure accepting the most unfair agreement he ever saw, Fujin setting fire to Otogakure and marching on Sunagakure, to solving the long unresolved mysteries surrounding the deaths of Minato and the Third Kazekage, Hiruzen didn't anticipate either of those events occurring.

What shocked Hiruzen most was that Fujin supposedly ‘killed’ the masked Uchiha from the Akatsuki. He thought, ‘From his description, he sounds just like the person Itachi mentioned in his first report. Though he didn't know the masked ninja's abilities, Itachi had the same thoughts as Fujin as well.

Unfortunately, he mentioned his existence to me after the Uchiha Massacre had taken place. It was already too late. More absurdly, he claimed that person was Uchiha Madara…’

Hiruzen wasn't sure what to make of Itachi's report. Since Itachi didn't report his abilities, his speculations weren't as convincing as Fujin's. Since he claimed the masked ninja to be Uchiha Madara, the report lost more credibility in Hiruzen's eyes.

Hiruzen thought, ‘Even if I somehow entertain the absurd thought of Madara fooling Lord First and somehow surviving till now, how can I even explain Madara being forced to use Izanagi to survive against Fujin?’

It was not that Hiruzen looked down on Fujin, but Madara's power was too out of the world. Even though he was called the ‘God of Shinobi’, Hiruzen knew he wouldn't last more than a few minutes against Madara even in his prime! He fully understood how terrifying Madara and Hashirama were. So, the thought of Fujin killing Madara was beyond absurd for Hiruzen. So was the thought of Madara rescuing the likes of Sasori and Deidara.

Hiruzen analyzed, ‘While I'm sure he isn't Madara, his ability is extremely peculiar and troublesome. To become intangible at will… Only techniques equivalent to Fujin's Wind Domain can counter it effectively. The other ways that could allow us to fight him equally should be Senjutsu, which increases the ninja's awareness and sensitivity, and other Space Time techniques like Sensei's Flying Thunder God…’

Hiruzen felt a headache. Obito's ability was just too absurd. Having Izanagi on top of it was simply disgusting!

“Are you fine, Lord Third?” Seeing Hiruzen lost in thoughts, Shizune became worried and asked, snapping him out. Hiruzen nodded and said, “I am. You've done an excellent job, Fujin. I couldn't have done it better myself.”

Fujin chuckled, “Told you not to worry too much.”

Hiruzen smiled. For a moment, he felt joyful that the long hours he put into guiding Fujin were finally showing results. Unfortunately, that feeling lasted just for a fleeting moment as Hiruzen wondered in confusion, ‘That's strange. Since when did he become so compassionate? Is it because I'm injured or is he playing something?’

Hiruzen wanted to believe the answer was the former, but his experiences with Fujin made him more than a bit worried. He could only find relief in the fact that Fujin hadn't put a new problem on his head yet.

——

Even though Hiruzen woke up, his health was still fragile. Tsunade did all she could to help Hiruzen recover as much as he could in a few hours. Thanks to her efforts, Hiruzen was no longer confined to the bed and began walking around. Tsunade finally tasked several veteran Medical Ninjas to take care of his further treatment.

The news of Hiruzen getting better spread through Konoha like wildfire. The entire village rejoiced and celebrations broke out. The celebrations continued into the next day as Tsunade officially accepted the post of the Hokage and was appointed the Fifth Hokage!

While everyone had heard rumors, the Konoha ninjas were relieved to see it happening officially. Not only was it good for Konoha's leadership, but it also meant the best medical ninja would permanently reside in Konoha. It was a massive boost to their morale.

Of course, the one who rejoiced the most was none other than Hiruzen. The hat had finally been passed! The second happiest person was Shikaku, who was forced to be the Acting Hokage even after Tsunade returned. While he couldn't retire like Hiruzen, he desperately wanted a complete sleep along with his morning, afternoon and evening naps!

As soon as the ceremony was done, he handed over all the paperwork and other tasks to Tsunade. Tsunade's expression darkened as she noticed his impatience and delight. Shizune awkwardly thought, ‘It's almost as if he can't wait to run away!’
Shikaku began leaving when Tsunade suddenly said, “Hold it!”

Shikaku stopped and asked, “Is there anything else, Lady Tsunade?”

Tsunade replied, “There is.”
She glanced at her Anbu Guards and ordered, “Activate all the seals. Don't disturb us unless it is something important.”

The Anbu Guards followed her command and within moments, the Hokage's office was under lockdown, leaving just Tsunade, Shizune and Shikaku in the room. Before Shikaku could ask anything, Tsunade turned around, sat in her chair, opened a drawer and withdrew a tokkuri.

Shizune dumbfoundedly wondered, ‘When did Lazy Tsunade put alcohol there?’

Tsunade calmly poured the alcohol into her ochoko, looked at Shikaku and said, “Out with it. Tell me about Fujin's mission record and every other crazy thing he did to gain Sensei's interest and trust. Also, tell me why Jiraiya was so reserved while talking about him.”

Her words immediately piqued Shizune's interest. She thought, ‘The story of the infamous Spectral Swordsman? This should be entertaining. No wonder she brought out her sake.’

Unlike Shizune, Shikaku's face fell. He sighed and muttered, “I'll be here all day…”

——

‘Hmm…’ Sitting in his basement, Fujin observed several open scrolls in front of him, each containing information about the human soul. Nearly all of the scrolls were handed to him by Tsunade, with the last one being the one where he was writing down his observations and analysis.

Fujin studied the information for a long time before letting out a sigh. He thought, ‘No matter what it is, I need a crazy amount of time if I have to become competent in it…

Just when I was done with Flying Thunder God, Wind jutsus, Spirit Transformation jutsu, Fuinjutsu and even the Eight Inner Gates to an extent and thought I could relax a bit, I am already swamped with so many new projects…

I have to recreate the Lightning Chakra Mode from the Third Raikage’s scroll I stole from Kumogakure and also learn how to infuse more Yang and Yin chakra into Lightning based on his notes and Sakumo’s lecture.

I'll have to see whether I can do something similar with Wind too. Yin-Yang manipulation goes far deeper than I initially thought. The techniques I saw Hiruzen, Orochimaru and Sakumo using were far more advanced than mine. I'll have to spend a substantial amount of time to advance my jutsus similarly.

Then there's the new stream of Fuinjutsu that the Jashin followers use. Unfortunately, I haven't had much of a breakthrough there yet. Luckily, I might be able to convince Hiruzen or Tsunade to give me the Edo Tensei jutsu now. Once I reanimate Ketsueki and read his memories, I should finally have my breakthrough. That said, I feel that mastering it would take even longer than normal Fuinjutsu.

I also have to continue working on recreating Scorch Release. I'm only a step away, but I have been unable to take that final step. Even though I can easily copy its effects, the real deal still evades me…

There are still several other ideas that I want to try out. Though they shouldn't take much time individually, combined, they might take the longest. And now, I've added Soul to my list… Fuck the elemental crystals, I need time crystals!’

Fujin was left speechless. The amount of things he wanted to learn to keep improving never seemed to decrease. Fujin sighed once again and thought, ‘I hope nothing serious happens over the next 3 years like in the original story. I need that time. I might need even more… I may have to kidnap a Tailed Beast or two to delay the Fourth War. Anyway, I'll worry about this later. For now, how does Orochimaru split his soul to implant it in his curse seals?’

Fujin turned his attention back to the scrolls, analyzing what Orochimaru could have done. Though learning how to do it was so far away that Fujin couldn't even consider it, he was interested to see whether he could figure out its principles with his newly acquired knowledge.

——

“WHAT DID YOU SAY???” Shizune exclaimed in surprise. Disbelief was visible on Tsunade’s face too! Neither could believe Shikaku's words!