ã€ŠJoie de Vivreã€‹


 First Authoréˆ¥æªš Note

    Tags: Naruto, Reincarnation, OC, eventual multi-cross.

    This was the first significant fanfiction (or fiction in general) that I wrote.  As such, it¡¯s, well, bad (at least in my opinion ¨C not enough dialogue, too melodramatic, a bit unbalanced, etc).  Somehow, when I took it down that still generated a number of PM¡¯s and smaller number of reviews asking me to bring it back (and maybe even continue it), the most recent of which almost three years after I stopped updating the story.  So I guess people don¡¯t mind bad writing, every now and then; the story may as well return.

    Chapters are being lightly edited (I had a lot of tense issues early on), and will be posted as that is completed.

    There¡¯s currently about a hundred thousand words (~360 RRL pages) already written.  I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll continue it at all, let alone in the near future.  I have five original projects which are, IMHO, better written and more interesting, and which I could eventually get some money for (as I am a broke-ass grad student, that matters).  I also have more recent fanfics that are currently languishing in hiatus.  But if by the time I¡¯ve posted everything there¡¯s enough interest, I may add this to the pile of things to update over time.

    All that said, please, please do not judge my writing by this.  Unless you really like it, in which case fine, do, but recognize my other writing is likely better (unless it¡¯s that one MTG/ASoIaF/SW fic I did as a speed-writing experiment, which is also pretty terrible).Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Original AN: I was in a CYOA character generation mood, when I saw a ¡°ROB gives you three random powers¡± thread. The coolest set that I rolled, or at least the one that spawned the most plot threads in my head, started with Resurrection-Roulette. I was taken by the idea, and immediately had an idea that, after a while and some iterations, became this. I wanted there to be some reason beyond ¡°because ROB, that''s why,¡± so I made my character my interpretation of the modern monk.

    Some parts are based on personal experience; I did suffer a serious brain injury, and did have a fairly remarkable recovery. I do believe in technological immortality (you can laugh), practice martial arts, and live healthily, though am not that obsessive, am wary of any pain meds, and am widely read. Otherwise, the character, his motivations, etc., are all his, not mine, other than to the extent that any character is the author''s creation; I''ve purposefully tried to incorporate character traits of at least three friends and family members, and partially inspired by two fictional characters.

    Generally, the character is based on a ¡°how badass could someone who hasn''t done ridiculously crazy shit be? Or, how does someone with the potential, in another setting, with a lot of luck, to be a badass act and develop as a modern, productive member of society? And then how would they deal with the Naruto-verse?¡±

    As a final note, the story is told as a history from the protagonist''s point of view. He''s not a reliable narrator, and will often skip details he doesn''t find relevant, or that he finds to be so basic that they are assumed, often forgetting that others won''t. This is (to an extent, at least!) purposeful.

    As a final final note, there will eventually be sex and possibly lemons, as well as graphic violence; this will happen though when the character is more mature.

 Chapter 1: Death and Satori

    Chapter 1: Death and Satori

    What follows is an account of how I came to pass, and the origin of some talents I possess. For those uninterested, you may skip on.

    Dying is a horrible experience, and dying slowly is worse. I was neither young nor old when it came, and it was no surprise. I had an inoperable brain tumor, a slow but inevitable death sentence hanging over my head from a fairly young age. I didn''t accept it, of course. It was my dream, my ambition to live forever; not out of fear of death, but love of life.

    Life is just so interesting. There is so much to experience. And people are always creating new and interesting things to continue experiencing. Whenever I would read of immortals (all too often those damned vampires common in pulp teen novels) who lamented their ability to live forever, to keep experiencing new and interesting things, I would always think then you have never truly lived in the first place.

    I had a fairly excellent life: a loving family, with two siblings and dogs, enough money for whatever luxuries or hobbies we really wanted, well traveled, and the winner of a genetic lottery that left me both physically fit and with an intelligence great enough to pursue whatever I wanted. And from a young age, that pursuit was magic.

    Lacking magic on Earth though, I settled for martial arts, science, and stories.

    I suppose part of my thoughts on immortality may be because of my interests: technology and stories and martial arts at the forefront, followed by a general love of information, the human condition, history and what shaped it. All of these things I adore. And all of these things are in constant flux, constant development. As a child of the new millennium, I knew these things would always be there for me; I could, and wanted to, search for perfection for a thousand years, and a thousand more in these things, and still there would be more to learn and improve. I had no need for a heaven, as I saw its potential on Earth.

    My love of technology led me to authors like Kurzweil, who gave me the idea that an immortal life is not just possible at some distant point in the future, but potentially possible for those of my generation. I did all the right things. I slept right, ate an organic diet high in vegetables and low in red meat (generally unhealthy) and fish (some is ok, but many have heavy metals), took the perfect balance of vitamins and minerals and supplements, didn''t drink or smoke. I meditated and practiced martial arts, partially out of preference and partially for health. I practiced a low-risk lifestyle as well; over an eternity, small risks add up, and I wanted to go into things with the right habits.

    So, for me who loved life, for me who made a temple of my body, for me who loved above all else my mind, a slow progressive brain death was horrifying. I had several bouts of active tumor growth before it would slow or stop, losing mental ability and physical control each time. Each time, I clawed my way back, practicing meditation to regain focus, kata to regain strength, basic math and word games with family and friends to regain cognitive function; my efforts paid off, and I kept falling into an extremely rare number of people capable of recovering from such incidences.

    And, though this crucible damaged my body, there were benefits for my soul. Before any of this, I had always been a bit aloof. Not because I disdained others, but because it was very difficult to empathize on anything other than an academic fashion. I didn''t understand why someone might need a calculator to give the square root of any number less than a thousand (well, at least to three sig figs), or why others would miss things that were perfectly obvious if they just looked at the problem correctly. I knew I was physically capable in most scenarios, and mentally capable in any where I understood the underlying concepts. Further, I was somewhat divorced from my emotions. I had them, cherished them, but also refused to allow them any control. And so, I came off as somewhat arrogant, and at times condescending.

    The illness changed that, to a greater extent. My mind and physical control shot to hell, my emotions highly variable, my feelings intense in a way they had not been before, I went through all the stages of childhood development all over again on my way to improve myself to what I considered an acceptable standard. I understood others far better. And, most important, my meditation yielded some very interesting results.

    I had been interested in hypnosis and meditation from a young age. Here was a type of magic that did not use magic. I meditated, of course, for martial arts. Hypnosis, NLP, and other such topic I found somewhat fascinating, and I would pour over the works of people like Derren Brown, reading and watching the analysis posts of others online, going so far as to practice some basic tricks on other students at school. I myself practiced a combination of meditation and self-hypnosis following some training-related spine injuries as a pain reduction technique as I abhorred the concept of pain killers unless absolutely necessary.

    The levels of meditation needed to deal with something like brain damage though, that forced me onto a different level.

    I spent several hours, every day, meditating to keep control of my body and mind. When my reaction to crowds decreased sufficiently for me to be out in public, I used walking-meditation techniques to deal with the influx of new information. It was during the onset of this whole mess, several months in, that I first experienced Kensho, a fleeting momentary glimpse of self, the very first step towards enlightenment. It was, to be honest, somewhat addicting, terrifying, humbling, and exalting.

    I was hooked, and tried for months to recreate the feeling; it would not come. The very act of trying to achieve it, having in mind as a possibility while meditating, made it impossible; I would not find it again until years later. Irritated, I turned to other, similar pursuits, mostly focused on the intersection of meditation and self-hypnosis.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Hypnotists in the past could have ordinary people stiffen their muscles so hard that they could be suspended across two chairs, feet on one, hands on the other, and walked across. This is not some lost secret either; merely, it turns out that after being brought out of the hypnotic state, the subject tends to have muscle damage, ranging from mild to severe, and possible joint and tendon damage as well. Houdini was supposed to use a similar technique on his own stomach muscles to resist the blows of even heavyweight boxers.

    Interested, and having made my own initial forays into sustained meditation, self-hypnosis for pain reduction, and ki type manipulation (a combination of meditation and self-hypnosis, I believed), I began to practice. Eventually, I was able to surpass my own limitations. At first, I was able to focus, and punch fast enough that the speed was slightly painful to my body, even with my well-conditioned and flexible muscles and joints. Eventually, while working out with a friend of mine who was on leave from the US Marine Corps (and who had a perfect 100% on his physical fitness test), I used these techniques to keep up at least somewhat with my own much nerdier physique; I ended up with so many micro-tears in my arms, I was unable to move them for nearly a month. I was lucky I didn''t injure myself more severely.

    Somewhat less focused on these techniques after my brush with causing lasting physical damage to myself, I continued practice on and off, more maintaining my potential than increasing my talents, focused on my job as a researcher. At one point, I decided to try a deep meditation again; I fasted three days, meditating all the while. On the third day, once again, I achieved a brief moment of Kensho. This time, that was enough, and I went back to my work and life revitalized. Eventually though, all good things came to an end; I had a vicious resurgence of my illness.

    This time, the damned thing would not stop. I was given a month to live. I quit work, moved home, spent some time with my family, came up with a perfect diet with Mom, and began to meditate like never before. At first, I would spend eight hours a day in meditation, another four on martial arts. As time progressed, and that first month came to a close, I was cleaner in mind and body than I had ever been before, and meditating close to 16 hours a day. The new MRI showed a much slower progression than feared, but that I was still getting worse.

    A second month passed. I had achieved Kensho another two times. I was conscious enough of my body to know I was still getting worse, as was verified by the doctors. Near the beginning of the third month, I achieved Kensho once more, and in that moment of clarity I knew, this body of mine was doomed.

    But, in that moment of clarity, I had a thought; I saw a possibility. Normally, the mind, the body, the spirit, are linked but somewhat separate. I saw the possibility though of changing that. While I may not be able to live forever, I was maintaining my mind, my self, through sheer focus and will at this point. With some more focus, some more will, I might be able to change things, to link mind so that it depends solely on spirit. And so, achieve a kind of immortality in reincarnation.

    This was a gamble; I was wise enough even then to know I may be practicing self delusion, that this may all be a product of self-hypnosis rather than an actual, spiritual enlightenment. Further, I was gambling on reincarnation, and that my own enlightenment would be enough.

    Though, let me make clear: I was not interested in Buddha-hood. I had no desire to transcend humanity entirely until I was finished experiencing what it had to offer. Nor was I arrogant enough to think I could achieve it, certainly not in the moments I had left to me. I had no desire for the final enlightenment of Daigo, but needed the persistent insight I thought of as Satori rather than a mere moment from Kensho. And so I prepared. In a symbolic step-back from the flesh, I went entirely vegan.

    By the end of the third month, I was close. Close to the unison-of-mind-and-spirit. Closer to death. There was no point in an MRI, not for me, though I agreed that the doctors could have my body once the heart stopped beating. I made my goodbyes. I went into my meditation room, an empty, white walled space with wood floor attached to a restroom, bringing fourteen pitchers of water and a glass.

    I sat, and meditated, and drank water when I felt it necessary. The moments of Kensho became somewhat less impactful, but more and more common, the distance between me and Satori vanishingly thin. I lost track of time, was only drinking now what I perspired, my body devoid of toxins, my mind and spirit the same.

    I felt that I could abandon self, that I could become one with the world.  But that was not my goal. Instead, drawing on everything I knew and had practiced, I reinforced it. My Mind, My Spirit, My Self. This was my mantra. I experienced the world, but I was not the world. Not yet. One day, perhaps. But for that moment, my mind was my spirit, and my spirit my mind. To be honest, I am not sure if this revelation, this Satori of insight on how to maintain identity through death, came while I was alive, or dying, or only just dead.

    I vaguely remember the experience of something trying to take that-which-was-dark, and when I held on to my darkness, to take me, but I refused. I was not dark, though I possessed darkness, and thus that-which-consumes-the-dark may not consume me.  Something tried to take that-which-was-light; again, I refused to surrender my light, and was not light myself.

    There was the potential to become-that-which-you-may-be, but my self was that of a human, which I already was; I had no need to become what I already was. And, lastly, there was the call-to-be-at-peace-with-all.

    This, I remember most. Perhaps, it was the strongest call, especially for me, who had struggled so long. Perhaps, it was the weakest call, especially for me, who had spent so many hours of meditation, fighting this peace to make my mind part of the identity of my spirit.

    Then, for an age, there was merely nothing, the rare sensation of movement, perhaps a faintly heard noise. After, I believe this to have been the womb, with my spirit entered into my new body. At the time, especially at first, I was somewhat freaked out, worried that I had resisted the possible avenues of death and thus been consigned to the void. But my illness had not broken me, and death had not broken me, so neither, I resolved, would this new void. I continued my meditations, continued reviewing my memories of my past and making dreams for the future.

    The experiences of the dead, and the spirits, and the different-from-human, are not part of the human experience, and thus are lost to one that holds onto humanity. I remember those poorly, though there are some fleeting concepts I still held onto, as I have related. Their validity, how they might be psychic constructs to make sense of a greater experience, or merely the last gasp of a dying mind, all these are things I did not and do not know. Nor are human minds and spirits, which I had focused so dearly on maintaining, meant to function well without a body to provide the processing of thoughts. I can only report on fragmented memories, and how I have reconstructed them.

    All I know, is that my efforts worked.

    I maintained my mind and self as part of my spirit.

    I avoided the Paths of the Dead.

    As I lived, I would live again.

    And so it was.

 Chapter 2: A New Life, and New Challenges

    Chapter 2: A New Life, and New Challenges

    Being conscious as a fetus, and especially during birth, was not an experience I am fond of remembering. I do not advise it, and will speak not much more of it than to say that it was months of tedium, through which I struggled mightily to maintain my mind. As one may imagine, I spent much of this time in meditation, going over my previous life. I was not fully conscious of the fact that I was alive again until after the birthing process, an explosion of noise and light and sensation and pain.

    Being a baby was itself confusing. To begin, babies are functionally blind. Their brains do not yet know which nerves control which motions. Their muscles are further too weak to do anything but turn their head.

    It took me days, perhaps weeks to realize what was going on, weeks more to have any sort of controlled motion, months to build the muscles necessary to crawl, further weeks to have the balance to stand and walk. As a baby, emotions and body are unstable; think puberty but a hundred times more intense, and then remember that the baby brain is forming and developing too. It was far too similar to my illness for my tastes, and I wanted it over with as soon as possible.

    Luckily, I was male. I wouldn''t want to deal with gender confusion on top of everything else. Soon enough I learned my name: Daichi, or great wisdom. My parents picked well.

    During this time, I had four other focuses beyond existing and experiencing infant-hood. The first was learning the language, which sounded similar to Japanese; though as I did not speak Japanese, I could not tell how linguistically similar they were. I would by carried about by ''Kaa-san much of the time, and whenever I wasn''t obsessed with playing with her red hair (surprisingly distracting for a child), I would point and squawk at objects as we passed, getting her to name them. I endeavored to learn the language as quickly as possible. Eventually, I learned my parents'' names: Kohaku was Tou-san''s name, Kohaku Uzumaki. He was named after amber for his hair color, which apparently as a kid was more orange than red. Kaa-san''s name was Tomomi.

    The second focus was on my mind. A developing brain is a very interesting thing. Depending on how you focus your time and effort, combined with natural inclination, neural-plasticity leads to the formation of specialized thought capacity. Having babies, and even young children, do a lot of math, for example, will make them more likely to be good at it, especially faster at it, so long as they associate the math with good things. I was, of course, focused on making my brain as sharp as it could be; my identity, the essence of my mind and self, may have been linked to the soul, but the processing speed and power was definitely at least partially physical.

    The third focus was on my spirit. I wanted to make sure that I did the necessary maintenance keeping mind and spirit linked. Infant mortality, especially in this relatively low-tech world I seemed to have found myself in, was definitely a thing, and I want to ensure that if the worst happened, I would once again be reborn in my full capacity. During this, and the associated meditations on my body, I found something interesting.

    And this interesting thing leads into the fourth focus; my internal energy. I discovered that my ki there in that new land was much more real than in my previous life. On Earth, it was, at least as I thought, a way of envisioning and having a semi-conscious control over normal biological processes. On Chakyu, my new planet, it was the same, except there was this greater energy to it, and it was far easier to move and use.

    After some months of focus, I realized this energy had its own circulatory system, and seemed to have a color to it too: a dark blue in the pool near my navel, the traditional seat of physical energies (ki), a pale silver in the well near my forehead, presumably my mental/spiritual energies (chi), and a rather nice sky blue near my heart where they mixed (chakra).

    This gave me ideas. Back before, I had read a number of stories with chakra-based magic systems, including Naruto. I hypothesized that in such a system, there would be five important attributes to someone''s chakra: how much chakra you have (volume), how potent your chakra is (density), how quickly you can release the chakra (flow), how finely you can manipulate the chakra (control), and how quickly it recharged (vitality). While all of these are somewhat inherent, all can also be trained like muscles, especially if the chakra system has a circulatory system attached. And so, I began my chakra control exercises.

    The main exercises I focused on were internal techniques effective in increasing volume, density, control, internal flow, and vitality. The small points on my skin where chakra could escape kind of freaked me out, and I decided not to experiment with those without a bit of advice and more knowledge. What I could do, was the following.

    First, I spent days meditating solely on my own chakra flows. Once I had a decent understanding, the next step was the first of the exercises. I would compress my internal chakra, making it denser, then form it into little balls that were slightly larger than the channels, increasing volume a bit, as well as control, and significantly increasing flow. I would then focus on moving these balls through my chakra system as quickly as possible while maintaining coherency, further improving flow and control. Vitality would come into it as my body would have to replace the low-density areas left behind by increasing my chakra density. As a second exercise, I would focus on making the chakra in my ki-pool and chi-well denser, then shaping it against the sides of the pool or well, and making it slightly larger. This was most effective in increasing density and volume.

    My third chakra related exercise was to try and track my own chakra as some naturally flowed outside of my body, and do minor control exercises, like keeping it close. This led me to noticing other sources of chakra nearby, and my fourth chakra exercises. At first, I could only notice them if enough of my own chakra came into contact and was absorbed by the chakra of the object or person I was sensing, which made me lose control of the chakra that used to be mine; eventually, I noticed familiar chakra sources like my parents, then even later, unfamiliar chakra sources within range, whether they had any of my chakra in them or not. I would meditate on this daily, training to expand my range and refine my focus, while also trying to multitask on whatever it was I was doing normally.

    This in turn led to my fourth exercise, where I would try to re-absorb my own chakra, and the chakra of others. I found that my own could be reabsorbed safely, but that others had to be mixed with my own chakra, at which point it would be infected by my chakra''s essence, for lack of a better term, and made available to my control. When alone, I would purposefully leak chakra out, keep it close, wait till my system was full again, then re-absorb it, increasing my volume and density, and improving my external chakra control.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    As a baby, with little to do other than focus on learning ''Kaa-san and Tou-san''s language, doing memory and math game in my head to improve my mind, and a bit of meditation on my spirit, I had plenty of time when I was ¡°sleeping¡± to muck about with these exercises. Though I didn''t know it at the time, they would provide an excellent base to build the type of skills I''d need to survive.

    I was about one year old when I discovered that I was living in a Naruto-verse, and more importantly in Uzushiogakure as an Uzumaki. I nearly wept I was so happy I had started my training early enough. It turns out, ''Kaa-san and Tou-san''s red hair? The weird spiral symbol I''d sometimes see? All of these were signs that didn''t really click until I was better with the language.

    I wasn''t sure how to feel about this.

    I wasn''t particularly familiar with Naruto, more''s the pity. I had read a good number of fanfics, but the original was far too annoying to get into. I didn''t know much, and had no guarantee that we were in fact in a canon Naruto-verse, nor whether a canon verse is reflective of the majority of possible Naruto-verses.

    In other words, the multi-versal identity was certainly uncertain.

    Less philosophically, I had no idea where the canon of Naruto fell in relation to reality.  Was it truly historical, or at least a semi-child friendly depiction of true events?  Was it fiction from the same setting, similar to Jiraiya¡¯s Tale of the Utter Gutsy Shinobi? Or was it even less relevant?  In other words, I didn¡¯t know whether I had a cheat sheet, a loose guide, or whether I was about to do something as stupid as thinking that reading Shakespeare¡¯s Macbeth qualified me as an expert on the War of the Roses.

    I decided to work off of the assumption that I was in canon, or at least something closely related, until I knew better.

    That aside, I was in Uzushio, which I knew fell in canon, but I didn''t know when, my best guess being ¡°sometime after Mito requests a replacement to hold the nine-tails¡±, nor could I locate myself in time. Further, I was well familiar with the butterfly effect, so assuming I was not in a static time-stream, in which case [everything I do] is something [I will have done in the canonical future] so I may as well [do as I would and hope for the best] ¨C and yes, I did study modern philosophy in school ¨C then the butterfly effect meant that this far out, nothing was certain of the absolute shit-storm that may be coming. On the other hand, considering it was the result of a centuries old conspiracy, and I was basically living in a death-world, I decided I should definitely prepare as well as I could.

    Still, if there was a clan to be part of, the Uzumaki''s were among the top choices. Maybe without the cheating eyes of the Uchiha or all-seeing Hyuga (both of whose capabilities I resolved to copy or duplicate at some point), but we didn''t have the whole Hatred or Servitude fetishes either. Plus canonically, until it got destroyed, Uzushio was as far as I could recall a pretty good place to be. Bonuses included high levels of prosperity and technology, a virtual monopoly on high-level sealing, defensible and somewhat removed from the concerns of the mainland other than our, somewhat unfortunate, military alliance with Konoha. And, most critical for me, access to the sealing libraries of Uzushio, peerless repositories of a discipline which was interpreted back on Earth as a mix of magic, science and art.

    As soon as I found this out, I forced my parents to start teaching me how to draw. I sucked. I was a baby, so it was expected. But, I brought a level of focus to it that impressed my parents. Turns out, Kaa-san was a fairly decently ranked sealer, and was ecstatic to start teaching me, calling me ¡°her little genius¡± at the speed I learned the meaning of symbols and making Tou-san extremely jealous. Honestly, Kaa-san was pretty amazing.

    I always thought of her as this huge (compared to me), but svelte and reasonably fit and just the right height (compared to Tou-san, who was kind of a beast, and always has 5-o''clock shadow), always dressed well, and gentle person who spent a lot of time writing in the office, but always with time to change or feed or play with me whenever I fussed, and infinite patience to point out and explain things in simple terms that I would hopefully understand. I took a while before I realized exactly what she was writing while in her office, to learn that she was this world''s equivalent to, I''m not sure: a journeyman enchanter? A math-mancer or Pythagorean mage? A scientist? And at such a young age too. My eyes were full of admiration for Kaa-san.

    Tou-san, who was part of the clan-guard (which was somewhere between ninja and national-guard), seemed to have focused a bit more on kenjutsu and physical combat, which I guessed from his rather manly appearance, sword, and callouses; I was just hoping he could teach jutsu too. Being a bit competitive with Kaa-san, he started me off on a proper physical training regime, getting me ready for martial arts and swordplay with a series of exercises, stretches and games which I took to amazingly well.

    It was a wet, muddy, cold, painful, and exhausting process. I loved it. It had been literally a lifetime since my body was fit enough to do so, and I had seriously missed being able to feel that burn and the sweet exhaustion of an honest work-out. Tou-san pushed just the right amount, and always made sure to explain how this game or exercise wasn''t only great in its own way, but would make me an awesome man in the future. It wasn¡¯t hard to convince me. Being able to do what really amounted to martial-arts magic, and protect those we loved like Kaa-san and Uzushiogakure meant I was living the dream.

    I theorized that chakra, which I had been improving at a rapid rate for over a year by that point, improved muscular and mental development too, because there was no way a one year old should be able to survive all that otherwise. And so my days passed, eating with Tou-san and Kaa-san, increasing my vocabulary, being taught to read and write by memorizing the meanings and usage of seals with Kaa-san in her office during the day, running and playing hide-and-seek, and doing basic exercises and pre-martial arts foundational work with Tou-san either early or late depending on his shift.

    As I grew, and gained mobility, basic speech, the ability to eat solid foods, was finally a bit more sturdy, and had passed the all important first-year, where child mortality was so brutal, I was finally exposed to more of the village. It was a beautiful place. Relatively large, with a population in the tens of thousands, about a tenth of whom would fall under the broad umbrella of ¡°ninja¡± (in reality often samurai or simply chakra-active with potential combat-applicable skills), Uzushio was also a trading hub, and made a fortune on selling seals and sealing services.

    The buildings, mostly Japanese in style but with much more stone and solid materials than usual, tended to be bright and colorful. Clothes were made of fine fabrics and vibrant colors. The market had large supplies of local and foreign foodstuffs and goods. The people were pleasant, and my family well respected. We were not the very elite expected to inherit clan leadership, but were Uzumaki clan members, both of my parents being approximately Jonin within their specialties and thus of similar social position as a great-clan special Jonin in another village.

    I loved life, as always, and I loved my new life too. I decide that I refused to allow it to be ruined by anyone. I would put forth my full effort, the understanding of science and technology of a highly-educated, 21st century engineer, and every ounce of cunning and viciousness. I resolved to protect this life, and the lives of those I value.

    For that task, few measures were too far. I would become a monster so fearful that we were left without enemies, lest my gaze have reason to turn on them. I would advocate a policy of isolationism and neutrality to avoid conflict. But if anyone attempted to topple Uzushiogakure, the last thing they would find in their lives was me, waiting, and I would visit ruin unto their village.

    Again, I had a goal. And I, who had transcended Death, refused to fail.

 Chapter 3: Childhood Preparations, pt. 1

    Chapter 3: Childhood Preparations, pt. 1

    Time passed, and I as I turned 3 I grew mentally, physically, and in my budding ninja skills. I should point out, Uzushio didn''t really have many ¡°ninja¡±. We had clan-guard who were primarily responsible for home and territorial defense (think ninja mixed with samurai), seal-masters and sealers who were responsible for all sealing work and frequently paid missions to perform sealing for others, retinue-guard who protected sealers on missions and were probably the closest to other village''s ninja, and the Shadows who were somewhat similar to Konoha''s ANBU.

    Still, I called them ¡°ninja¡± skills, since to the rest of the world, that is what those skills were.  Though samurai, monks, and even some peasant families were chakra active, the ninja were the flashiest.  Samurai tended to focus on refining a few less flashy techniques for killing; beyond that, their talents were typically only seen on the battlefield, or by other samurai or their own servants when practicing.  The general population had little chance to see samurai using techniques because of that.  Similarly, monks generally disdained flashy use of chakra as a religious matter, and the most impressive monks were typically semi-isolated in their monasteries.

    Ninja, on the other hand, could be and often were hired for even relatively low-level tasks such as repairing flood-damaged fields, dealing with chakra-enhanced beasts and bandits, escorts, and the like.  Unlike samurai and monks who avoided showy displays in front of the peasants and merchants, ninja loved to show off.  It was a great advertisement, after all.  And so, over time, chakra-skills became more colloquially known as ¡°ninja¡± skills.

    Tou-san moved me onto both general physical training as well as proper martial arts training in the Whirling Fist, Uzushio''s general military combat style. The style was a pretty interesting one, and fit my own previous experiences well. It emphasized out-fighting (fighting at relatively longer range) for both striking and grappling or Aikido style techniques; this made perfect sense considering most enemies, especially enemy ninja, had hidden weapons or crippling-strike close combat techniques.  A Muay-Thai style clench could lead to a half dozen stabs to the gut; such an outcome was not exactly the best way of surviving a fight, let alone winning it.

    Whirling Fist strikes focused on soft targets for knuckle strikes, especially at the lower levels.  Seal-masters needed good manual dexterity, Uzumaki tended to live for a long time, and knuckle conditioning tends to make people highly arthritic by their forties.  That combination meant knuckle conditioning, and thus hard knuckle striking, was contraindicated. Instead, harder targets were struck with hammer strikes, and there was a lot of conditioning for the arms to use a hard-blocking style.

    Kicks tended to be low and practical, with a lot of training on how to change target from a kick already in motion, presumably to help prevent enemy knife-wielders from managing to slice the leg up. The grappling was more similar to Aikido and longer-distance jujitsu techniques.  The style further frequently used circular motions and force-redirection to present a good target or opening for comrades when fighting in formation. It tended not to result in long grapples, but more positioning a joint to be struck, or moving the body to open up a target by unbalancing the enemy.

    Overall, I¡¯d describe the style as somewhat conservative, defensively prioritizing minimizing the practitioner¡¯s openings and danger rather than focusing on offensively breaking the opponent.  Attacks tended to be fairly opportunistic, counter-attacking and exploiting openings brought out by the defensive maneuvers.

    We had not yet moved on to weapons, though the physical training for the sword had become somewhat more intense. Tou-san was so impressed by my progress that he was actually a little worried; I heard him talking to Kaa-san that I was learning things amazingly quickly, and my pain resistance was intense, so much so that he had to be careful not to push hard, like he might with a normal kid. Knowing I had high pain resistance came from blocking training.

    There are several different types of blocking in martial arts, but most can be boiled down to five philosophies.  And this wasn¡¯t just on Earth, or Chakyu ¨C this is a more universally applicable analysis. Any good combat style will use all of them, given the right circumstances, but will emphasize some, and personal preference plays a part in how effective these methods are as well as which sub-styles a practitioner focuses on. These are:

    1) Tank, or being so physically tough you can take the hit and move through it. There is actually a lot of timing involved with such an approach; if you move into a hit at the right time, you can easily rob it of 60-80% of the total impact, and damage the balance of your opponent. Typically, you are then at an in-fighting distance, and by striking first, can begin a real beat-down.  Once inside the enemy¡¯s engagement range, a tank tends to stick, keeping distances totally minimal, hitting hard and grappling viciously while preventing the enemy from building distance and recovering.  This style is much riskier when weapons are involved.

    2) Dodge, or, don''t get hit in the first place. A lot of the time, this means being an out-fighter, staying at the edge of where they can and can''t hit you, dodging the strike, and countering. Done properly, you can inflict damage at no cost to yourself, and frequently combined with parry-blocks which put enemies minimally off-line. Highly effective if you are fast and have a light build, this was my own favored strategy, and it worked well when your enemy may have some instant-death-touch jutsu.

    3) Hard Blocks are the idea that a block is also an attack. It relies on conditioning the bones that you use to block, and making the blocking motions both fast and heavy. It tends to mesh most easily with Tanking, but can be combined with dodging without too much difficulty. You could see it in Earth martial arts like Goju-Ryu. One such block, to block a punch, involved at a basic level trying to break through their wrist using your own wrist in a block. At an even higher level, you might move forward and block at a joint like the elbow, breaking that.

    The conditioning though was brutal; I''d forgotten how learning it on earth, the first time when I was 13, my arms were a constant bruise for six months until the holidays. The first day, when doing the conditioning sucked; I (like anyone) developed bruises over the practice, but just kept going. A week later though, everything started off sensitive and just got so much worse.  Bruises on bruises on bruises over totally raw nerves until eventually those nerves start to die off and the practitioner starts to lose pain sensitivity in those conditioned areas.

    If you haven''t guessed yet, Whirling Fist loved techniques like that, spinning around an attack, building momentum, and counterattack-blocking before the enemy could withdraw; suffice to say, Dad was super-impressed at my resilience and willingness to continue practice.

    4) Soft Blocks are just what they sound like. Think Tai-chi or Aikido. These are good for redirection, but a sufficiently stronger enemy with enough skill and experience against your style tended to break through as they learned to anticipate the pattern of force application they needed to use to deflect much of the parrying force. Parry-blocks fall under this category too, but I have yet to come across a hand-to-hand combat style which didn¡¯t include parry blocks, so they are not stylistically definitive. Although I liked the concept of soft blocks, and combined with chakra they could be effective, they were generally not used within Whirling-Fist unless part of a dodge.

    5) Trapping Blocks are designed for grapplers, though are very effective for a striker when used against kicks. A trapping block tries to gain control of a limb after a strike, often leading into grappling. While Whirling-Fist had some grappling, it is not emphasized. Sando, an Earth Chinese military martial art, had some great kick-traps though, that were otherwise similar to the types of blocks in hard/tank styles such as some karate variants and Muay-Thai. I was including those blocks into my own style, mostly because it was really satisfying to catch a kick on the rebound and then literally toss my suddenly off-balance and helpless opponent.

    So, like I said, Whirling-Fist was mostly a combination of striking with dodging and hard-blocks, and a bit of longer-distance redirection joint techniques. It involved brutal conditioning, though not of the precious hands (which could become single-touch death when at a sufficient sealing level). At my urging, and continued adherence to the training schedule, Tou-san had me doing the conditioning at the best rate for a kid my age and with my recovery rate.

    The problem with this kind of conditioning was that if taken just a little too far, it could damage the body faster than I could recover, resulting in problems like spongy and fragile bones (a nasty issue that those who did a lot of running back on Earth could get in their shins). Kaa-san wasn''t super happy, but gave in when she realized that it was at my own demand.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    When they asked me why, I told them: ¡°Kaa-san, Tou-san, this world is dangerous. I will be powerful, and have to fight, like both of you. The more I sweat and bleed now, the less likely I am to fail later. I will have no regrets.¡± They were pretty speechless at this, and then both hugged me really, and I do mean really, overly, obnoxiously, tight. Kaa-san was, I think, a little teary, and mumbling something I didn''t catch. But still, family love for the win. Suffice to say, my training continued, and was speckled with all the tips and tricks to improve my efficiency, both in training and combat, that Tou-san could give.

    I think that¡¯s something important to recognize and emphasize.  I wasn¡¯t training to go on the US karate competition circuit, or to stay fit, or against the tiny risk that I might one day be mugged.  No, I was training for the eventual surety that I would be serving in our military, fighting for my life against other super-human warriors.  I knew it.  Tou-san and Kaa-san knew it.  And that knowledge, well, it was a pretty good motivator.

    After that conversation, Tou-san also started me on external chakra control and internal chakra reinforcement. I could do bark-sticking (Uzumaki''s had more chakra, so leaf-sticking was actually kind of hard), and when focusing could tree-walk. We were working on leaves and unconscious tree-walking, and after I could water-walk Tou-san said he''d start me on some water-jutsus and water-elemental manipulation (his affinity).

    Tou-san also began the basics of chakra reinforcement. At it''s most basic, you could flood an area with chakra, making it stronger. Although I was a chakra beast even for an Uzumaki due to my exercises, even a Jinchuriki would get tired using that to maximize power. At a slightly higher level, you could enhance specific tissues such as bones, making them tougher, or muscles to make them stronger or faster, and by using beams or columns of chakra rather than pools, enhance them in a certain direction further increasing efficiency. Intention was important with Chakra, and as I trained my chakra to react to my intention, I would be able to control whether the enhancement was more for speed, or power, or toughness.

    It turned out that the rapid-chakra internal flow technique (something that I luckily practiced so much that it had become automatic) actually gave a bit of a bonus to everything, but meant that maximum exertion drained energy a bit faster since I was technically able to go at a higher level. My chakra volume, density and vitality were sufficient for it to be worth it though, as the only real way to use techniques like this in combat with other buffing techniques was to make it automatic.

    Plus, it meant that if I fought at a level equivalent to what would be (without internal-flow) 100%, I only drained energy like I was fighting at 90% of the flow-less levels. In other words, it allowed me to go all out at a boosted level for a relatively minor cost, but also made me efforts in general more efficient. Apparently it also made it harder to put me under a genjutsu, as the genjutsu would have to match that high circulation speed or it would jar against my chakra system. For the purpose of making my non-circulatory chakra enhancement combat-effective, Tou-san had me practicing enhanced punches, blocks, kicks, and movements with the chakra reinforcement to make the reinforcement faster, more efficient, and most important an unthinking instinct when I need to use it.

    That involved a lot of work.

    There¡¯s a saying that it takes ten thousand repetitions to make something instinctive.  For example, ten thousand jab-cross combinations will make a jab-cross fast and automatic.  To build up a full personal combat style back on Earth typically required something on the order of ten different kicks and about forty punches, blocks and counters, another twenty pieces of footwork, dodges and rolls, and a dozen throws, grapples, and escapes.  Overall, with transitions, a practitioner typically required on the order of a million technique repetitions. And that was after they could do all of those hundred or so motions semi-perfectly and had picked out the techniques that worked for them.

    I needed that same number of repetitions, but every one required different chakra enhancements.  Different balances of which muscle was getting how much energy in which pattern.  How that meshed with the movement, combined into an ass-kicking technique.  It was involved, and even with hours of practice every day I knew it would be years before I was at a skill level that I was happy with.  I loved it though, the complexity and difficulty of turning my body into a fine-tuned machine.  But best of all was the beauty when everything came together.

    Kaa-san too was starting to train me at an enhanced level. By the age of three, I could read about as well as a 12 year old, and could read basic seals (my handwriting wasn''t quite good enough, according to Kaa-san, to write them yet). Part of this was that I already knew concepts, all I had to do was learn the word itself and the symbol (I truly loathed having a logographic rather than phonetic writing system). Part of this was my own genius, and the crazily flexible mind of a child.

    And part of this was the unflagging efforts of Kaa-san. I knew about different inks, and brushes, and most of the technical aspects behind at least the most basic seals.  And all of those inks, brushes and the like were crucial, as they effected the conductivity and charge of chakra in the seal. Kaa-san even started me on the small, fine-scale chakra control needed to be able to chakra-etch seals at a touch (and eventually even a distance with a variant of chakra-strings), doing so without using ink or brush at all.

    Seals had three important aspects. The first was territory: seals could be used to define a space wherein a certain effect would occur, or a point at which it started. This could be the blast zone for an explosive seal, maximum object size of a space-sealing one, or persistent effect zone for a ward. The next was condition identification. A lot of the time, this was as simple as ¡°chakra has been pulsed into the seal¡± for an explosion seal''s countdown, but could be more complex like ¡°object generating chakra smaller than 10cm by 5cm by 5cm is within the defined territory¡± for an anti-vermin ward (a huge seller on ships and for warehouses, by the way).

    The last aspect was the effect, which was normally some combination of converting, modifying and directing energy. The effect was one of the things about seals that was just so damned awesome, since it could be basically anything. Teleportation or very fast travel? Sure, though difficult and generally pretty expensive chakra-wise. Sealing? Trapping Bijuu was actually, relatively easy in a lot of ways given that they are just sentient chakra. The trick was keeping them trapped. Explosions? Healing chakra converters (totally necessary for Uzumaki medics with their large reserves)? Genjutsu jammers? All of these were possible. And all had dozens of different, already discovered seal formulations in the clan and village libraries.

    The hard part about seals was that they don''t really fit into a conventional wisdom. Part invocation of oriental divine and abstract entities, part analogue to chakra''s version of electrical-engineering, part computer-program, part absurdly advanced and obscure physics (especially for dimensional effects) and part art, there was a reason few villages had more than one or two seal masters. You had to have some sort of natural talent for it, an intuition that allowed the sealer to go beyond what could be calculated or even inferred. Thankfully, the Uzumaki bloodline seemed to have some natural predilection for seals that in any other place would result in being protected as a national strategic interest. Even among my fellows though, I was (somewhat unsurprisingly) a genius.

    I''m not sure if it was Kaa-san''s exposing me to seals so early, or my own natural intelligence and knowledge boosting my biological tendencies, or the fact that I had passed beyond the veil of our limited understanding of reality, or my exposure to hundreds of different magical systems, many geometrical, in fiction I had read in the past, but I just got seals. And I did so faster than anyone Kaa-san had heard of.

    There was a set of sealing dictionaries, some of the greatest protected secrets of Uzushio. Seriously, I think the security seals checked my soul, and I was sure that there were some checking the body and even mind for any spying devices, based on conceptual understandings of observation.  If you think about it, that means the sealers used quantum mechanics just in the security seals. I also knew that the dictionaries checked sealing understanding, and wouldn¡¯t allow access to levels that weren''t already understood. Seal masters could get super squirrelly when they got paranoid, and the protection of these was the province of the most paranoid of the seal-masters, past and present.

    These dictionaries were linked to the master dictionary, and were kind of like an advanced Wikipedia about the seals you had access to. It describes general usage of characters and sub-seals, some seals they were incorporated into, deep information (like celestial and elemental alignment, dimensional polarization, and chakra orientation) and known interactions with other sealing components.

    Suffice to say, Kaa-san had access to her own, personal, version, with the standard protections. Her dictionary contained all level one and level two sealing elements, as well as level three and four sealing elements concerning detection and abjuration warding, Kaa-san''s specialty. As a note, the dictionaries had nine levels. For perspective, Minato''s Hiraishin, as a super-efficient distance-ignorant teleportation technique, might rank as a level six seal in its entirety. Most components would rank as level four or below.

    Level eight was for things like summoning greater gods; in other words, with access to a level eight sealing dictionary, you could build a custom divine summoning seal. No one even talked about what level nine seals can accomplish, and I didn''t want to know; it seemed like the kind of knowledge that might be capable of noticing you for knowing it. So, Kaa-san''s level two/four dictionary was pretty damned respectable, especially given her age. She was expected to become at least a candidate to make sealing master in the future.

    What was cooler though, was she''d officially made me her apprentice. I passed the basic exam (thankfully not public, really didn''t need that attention), and was written into her book as her apprentice, giving me access to seals which she thought appropriate (sadly, still somewhat lacking ¨C I wouldn¡¯t be breaking reality anytime soon). Still, they were so much fun to play with. I was basically on the sealing equivalent of writing ¡°hello world¡± programs, but learning very quickly. I mean, hell, I was three. By age eight, I expected to be able to write my own original strategically useful seals at that rate.

 Chapter 4: Childhood Preparations, pt. 2

    Chapter 4: Childhood Preparations, pt. 2

    So, more time passed, and I turned 4 years old. I''d continued my training, could water-walk, knew the basic hand-signs, and could do the body-replacement technique (kawarimi) and visual-transformation (henge). It really wasn¡¯t that ridiculous; Kakashi managed the same at age five, even graduated top of academy class, and I had the benefit of having been an adult and having started my training basically the moment I was born.

    Tou-san said that as a special birthday present, we''d be finding out my chakra affinity, and he would begin training on elemental techniques, starting with an elemental clone if I have Water or Earth at a high enough level (Uzumaki''s tended to have a hard time making illusionary Bushin). Kaa-san, not be outdone, gave me a calligraphy set, and told me that I was finally ready to draw my first real seal.

    Dad handed me the affinity seal. Turns out, Uzumaki''s don''t use chakra paper to check affinities since it is ¡°crude, inelegant, and imprecise. We have sealing masters for a reason.¡± Instead, we use a seal that will give a numerical value for your affinity, one-ten. The scale is somewhat non-linear; the gap between an eight and seven is far more than that between a seven and a six. A nine would be a perfect, trained affinity. Think Senju Tobirama with his water. A ten would be even more than that; almost a deity of the element, capable of using it with a thought and minimal chakra expenditure. The only reason a ten existed on the scale was to make sure that no one went beyond it.

    As someone who is untrained, unless there was something odd, I''d be in the one to five range. A five was considered amazing, especially for someone without training, and meant you could likely become one of the strongest users of that element in all the nations if trained. A four was considered a strong affinity for the element, to the point you might specialize in using the element. A three was considered worth training, but not particularly special. With a two, you''d struggle to ever really use the element. A one, you may was well not try and a zero meant it is impossible for you to generate this type of chakra, ever; a zero for the five elements would actually be a sign of a serious medical condition in humans.

    Uzumaki¡¯s tended to have high water and/or air affinities. Dad was a fairly strong water-type, and it was likely I inherited at least part of that. I myself frequently did a meditation where I tried to become one with the wind, so I expected a relatively high wind affinity as well.

    As Uzumaki''s, we were always adding functionality into things, seals especially. So, at some point, someone decided since we were testing affinity, the seal may as well test density and yin/yang balance too. Apparently, testing volume was somewhat dangerous (involving either an invasive scan, which some are allergic to, or draining large volumes of chakra, which could overload the seal and cause an ¡°uncontrolled seal rupture¡± - aka explosion). Instead, volume was tested via jutsu or filling chakra battery seals rather than using expensive scanning seals; ditto with refill speeds.

    Yin-Yang balance was a number between one and a hundred, and represented the percentage of the chakra which was Yang or physically attributed. Uzumakis tended to be Yang-heavy, as did kids, but as a genius (and reincarnation) I expected my Yin to be relatively high. Typically, high Yin levels as an Uzumaki kid meant that as our bloodline develops and we aged, even more Yang chakra would be produced as our bodies ¡°prefer¡± to be Yang heavy. Generally, even those with high Yin concentrations had at least 60% Yang going into their sixties (Yin increased with age, in normal people, while Yang was highest when young). This was a good thing, as it would turn me into even more of a chakra monster, but bad in that it would mean I had to constantly maintain my levels of chakra control lest I backslide.

    Density, similar to the elements, was one to ten with 10 being almost solid when still and edging into the ¡°has transcended mortal flesh and become a biju¡± territory. Tou-san, as a ninjutsu/kenjutsu based clan-guard of about jonin level was probably a seven. A normal shinobi-born kid might hit a density of two by the time they were twelve years old. A member of a major clan might hit three. A genius in a major clan who trained extensively, someone like Kakashi or Itachi might hit four or five, or, very very rarely six. A gifted Uzumaki who trained a lot might hit six by age twelve; a very few managed a density of seven. A single Uzumaki in a generation might have a chakra density of eight by the time they were about to enter puberty.

    Typically, density increased with age and training, and was one of the major ways that ninja got ¡°more chakra¡±. Their circulatory systems weren''t flexible enough after puberty to expand much in volume, but the density could (and did) increase. Conversely, before puberty, it was relatively easy for volume to increase, so density tended to have relatively low gains. Jinchuriki for example tended to have very high volume and density, though the speed at which the system grew combined with the absolute lack of established and reinforced pathways from regular chakra use tended to give them terrible control. A jinchuriki might have had a density of seven to eight by the age of twelve, and might reach nine in their lifetimes.

    High chakra densities, especially at young ages, were typically a pre-requisite to activate bloodlines. Very high densities, especially without any full bloodline to activate, frequently resulted in a new bloodline, especially if the high density occurs before puberty. This chance could be further boosted by high environmental chakra concentrations.

    Any Uzumaki with density seven or above before puberty could activate the Adamantine Chains bloodline, and by law must be reported to the Clan-lord so appropriate training could be arranged. In fact, this is one of the few invasive laws concerning Uzumaki clan-members and also required testing at the age of 12. Apparently when you first ¡°unlocked¡± the chains, they tended to fly all over the place and could accidentally cause a lot of damage or even death.

    Tou-san and Kaa-san didn''t explain any of the particulars of the affinity test beyond the elemental affinity parts; I learned all the rest later. I channeled a trickle of chakra into it, until a light on the seal indicated a sufficient volume. A moment later, seven circles indicated numbers.

    Water: 5

    Earth: 4

    Lightning: 3

    Wind: 6

    Fire: 3

    Yang: 35%

    Density: 8

    ¡°Holy¡­ Tou-san! Kaa-san! Look! I''m going to be the god of wind!¡± I beamed at them, and saw the looks of mild shock. Tou-san recovered first.

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ not quite. I didn''t say this, but since your density is so high, you need to subtract one from each of your elemental affinities. Normally, we only see that problem in older people. So, really, it''s this,¡± he said, taking my paper and writing down the adjusted affinities.

    Water: 4

    Earth: 3

    Lightning: 2

    Wind: 5

    Fire: 2

    Yang: 35%

    Density: 8

    ¡°Still though, you should be very proud. You''ll be amazing at wind jutsu, and I can teach you all of my skills with water too. You''re lucky; both are relatively common affinities for Uzumaki, so we have a lot of techniques for you. We''ll have to see about getting your cousin Kiyoshi to give you some training.¡± Tou-san was getting a bit carried away already with plans for future training. We really bonded during it, and he took a lot of pride in it, but it could annoy Kaa-san if he wasn''t careful.

    Still, seeing cousin Kiyoshi more would be awesome. He was Dad''s first cousin, and one of the closest to our family. He was a bit younger, only seventeen years old, and hadn''t married yet, though he brought a number of dates around to our place for dinner when he was at home. He was part of a naval patrol group in the clan-guard, and strong enough in wind techniques to enhance the speed of the ship while damaging enemy sails. Apparently, he was very well thought of, and considered something of a genius with his wind techniques. He was also a bit ridiculous, and over to top at home, with these big sweeping gestures and exaggerated stories that he told me. He was probably my favorite, outside of my parents and grandparents.

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait! Kohaku, look at the density and think for a moment, you jutsu obsessed knuckle-head! We have to bring him to Kazuo-sama, he may have the Adamantine Chains.¡±

    As an aside, Kazuo-sama was Kazuo Uzumaki, the clan leader, head of Uzushiogakure, and overlord of Whirlpool and its associated territories. Technically, he had several titles: sama, in this case, as he was acting in a non-formal setting as head of our extended family. He could also be called dono (milord) when acting in a more formal setting as head of the noble Uzumaki Clan, or as lord of Uzushiogakure. Finally, when acting as the Lord of Whirlpool, he would typically be addressed as kaka (excellency). The Uzumaki had this very strange history, where they ended up as a shinobi clan, a noble clan, and the rulers of Whirlpool, and for some strange set of formal diplomatic rules, the Uzumaki Clan head was actually three people: the clan head, the village leader, and the minor Daimyo of the country, most of which was organized in semi-independent townships.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Good point Tomomi. What do you think, eh Daichi? Happy to have the honored bloodline of the Uzumaki?¡± And hell yes, I was honored. More elated, actually. The Uzumaki, partially because of our naturally high chakra density, had a ton of potential bloodlines (beyond a general propensity for seals and high chakra amounts). This was partially a result of chakra density being one of the defining characteristics for bloodline activation, but largely that the Uzumaki were an old clan that mostly stayed neutral during the warring clans era.

    Over time, we''d bred with just about everyone at one point or another. This meant a lot of residual bloodline potential, and a high chance of activating something. Most of the time these were positive adaptations, but occasionally people had cosmetic deformities, sensitivities, allergies or the like that had to be managed. Within this slurry of potential specialness, the Adamantine chains had a special place in Uzumaki hearts; the chains were powerful in and of themselves, but had also been used by many of the Uzumaki''s greatest heroes.

    The main reason these chains were so awesome is that they were ridiculously overpowered. First off, they stayed connected to the user, so while they took a lot of chakra to use, you could return them to your body and regain the chakra. In other words, they merely occupied part of your reserves, rather than really draining chakra during a fight. Considering Uzumaki had high chakra density and volume to begin with, and the Adamantine chain users were prodigious even among the Uzumaki, it was rare for the amount reserved for the chains to prove needed; still, if it came down to the wire, the user could retract the chain and then use that chakra as needed.

    Next, the Adamantine chains were, as you may have guessed, ridiculously strong (physically). As in, they were strong enough to hold back Biju with an experienced user. The chains didn''t actually have to look like ¡°chains¡±, but could be edged or barbed for increased damage. They were ridiculously fast when being used too; since they were basically a chakra construct, the mind¡¯s imagination was the biggest limit to how quickly they can move. Lastly, the chains were chakra conductive, but only for the creator¡¯s chakra; otherwise, they were completely chakra blocking.

    This meant that you could use chakra flow on the chains; chakra flow was a technique that imparted elemental chakra onto physical objects. Wind-attributed flow could cut through just about anything. With my wind and chakra reserves, I¡¯d be a whirling dervish of chains capable of going Cuisinart-blender on everything within a few hundred meters.

    You could also apply seals through the seals, so long as you could use chakra seal-etching. There were some seals designed to direct their payload through a chakra conductive medium; these were designed with the chains in mind, though could also be used with some swords. There was, in fact, a specific seal-modifier so that it could be directed unidirectionally through a chain. Sealmasters with the chains often used them to apply several seals at one time over wide spaces, giving massive battlefield control and allowing widespread destructive sealing techniques to be used with a good degree of control. So, defense, offense, and restriction, the chains were damned awesome.

    In fact, it was recorded that in the early days of the Uzumaki clan''s setting up shop in Uzushiogakure and the land of Whirlpools that an alliance of several pirate-shinobi clans were annoyed in the perceived incursion into their territory, and attacked. An Uzumaki champion at the time, who''s name had since been lost and was known only by his title of ¡°the Red Osprey¡± (he was the possessor of the Osprey summoning contract, still in Uzumaki hands centuries later) was said to have sunk a dozen ships, all commanded by ship-combat specialist ninja, and killed over two hundred enemy ninja in the battle. He then proceeded to the island, now known as Wave, that was their base, and threw them the head of the enemy commander. He ordered the clans to bend the knee, or lose the head. The Himura clan, whose ships sailed under red sails, and the Kawaguchi both surrendered; they are part of Uzushiogakure to this day. The others refused, and were utterly destroyed. The only weapon that the Osprey used were his chains.

    So, hearing I might have these chains, I was pretty stoked. I''d heard the stories before, and had a lot of ideas as to how I could use them. Most of all, I wanted to find out if shadow-clones could use them, since that would mean I could make shadow-clones with chain-armor capable of tearing through even enemy jonin. It would make defending the village much easier.

    And so, we got dressed in somewhat more formal kimonos and trooped off to fortified compound in the middle of the village where Kazuo-sama lives and works during the day. We passed a number of guards, most of them covert, but my sensing skills were fairly strong, and only the stronger stealth-types would be hiding their chakra enough to avoid me. I was sure there were a few of these near Kazuo-sama, but not that many. Soon enough, we were in a waiting room, and Kaa-san had informed a secretary that we had ¡°non-pressing family business concerning the inheritance of Uzumaki traits in Daichi¡±. As it turned out, Kaa-san actually had higher rank within the clan than Tou-san; we were a fairly meritocratic rather than patriarchal people when it came to rank, and sealing skills were highly valued.

    We were served some tea and snacks by a servant, and about a half-hour later, the secretary returned to bring us to Kazuo-sama. Kazuo was a strong looking man, about six foot tall, with a full head of dark, wine colored hair just beginning to grey pulled into a ponytail. He was dressed in the semi-formal uniform of a clan-guard officer, which included a lightly armored chess-piece and clothing that looked both comfortable, respectable, and combat-effective at the same time. He gave off an excellent appearance and air for a clan-leader and lord. He stood as we entered, and smiled, beckoning us to sit with him while we gave our bows.

    ¡°Ah, Tomomi-san, Kohaku-san, and little Daichi-kun! You''re all looking very well, and Daichi-kun seems to growing to be a fine young man. Which reminds me, it''s your birthday isn''t it? Congratulations; though it''s not much, please accept this token, though it is not much.¡±

    With this, he gave me a beautifully detailed box about a foot cubed, made of a lovely lacquered wood with a hint of red stain. I bowed politely, thanking him greatly. I was curious what was in it, but too polite to open it until after we left. He could tell though, and grinning, told me to open it.

    Inside were a pair of finely carved wooden ospreys and a seal. Inspecting the ospreys, I saw small seals scribed on the underneath of the wings. It was truly masterful work; though the sealing was not overly complicated, the fine detail and orientation of the seals was extremely difficult. All together, the base seal would, when fed chakra, detect the bounded space it was in, and have the Ospreys swoop about inside of it; at least, that was my best guess, as I didn''t know a number of seals that were used.

    I suspected that Kazuo-sama, one of the best sealers in the clan, had chakra etched the seals himself. Likely within the half-hour we were waiting. A real class-act, our clan-head. I was greatly impressed and touched, both by the sealing itself, as well as the thought that went into giving such a present to me, a four-year-old whose parents, while promising, were far from significant within the clan.

    ¡°My greatest thanks, Kazuo-sama. The sealing work is beautiful. And the seal itself; the ospreys will fly within my room?¡± At this he burst into laughter.

    ¡°Amazing! I didn''t expect you to recognize that for years yet! Thank you for the compliment on the work. Are you interested in sealing?¡±

    ¡°Very much so! Kaa-san has even made me her apprentice.¡± I was throwing Kaa-san under the bus when it came to our Head''s attention a bit, but if I was going to be the child prodigy, then I was going to be, by god, a prodigy.

    ¡°Really?¡± This time, the question was directed at Kaa-san. She looked a bit sheepish.

    ¡°Ah, yes Kazuo-sama. He passed the test, and, well, showing him the dictionary was the best way for him to learn without always asking questions.¡± Thanks, Kaa-san! ¡°In fact, today is going to be the first time he is allowed to create and activate a seal he drew himself.¡±

    And now that I was reminded about that, I was excited all over again. Being able to create and activate a seal you drew is a big thing. While other villages may allow dangerous hacks to call themselves sealer, as the Uzumaki clan and with such a large number of available sealers, we held ourselves to higher standards. Though I was Kaa-san''s apprentice, I would only become an apprentice sealer once I had passed this step.

    ¡°Excellent, excellent. I am always happy to see the promise of the next generation. Becoming an apprentice sealer at the age of four is an impressive achievement; I''ll look forward to your future, young man. So, what brings you here?¡±

    ¡°Ah, well. I was thinking that I''d start to teach Daichi-kun some jutsu, and so tested his affinity. He had an eight on the density, so according the Chakra Density Indication of Adamantine Potential Act we brought him to you.¡± Tou-san dropped this brick with characteristic lack of subtlety, and at this, Kazuo lost a bit of his composure. Granted, a four year old, especially one who wasn''t a jinchuriki, with that level of chakra density was nuts. If I continued to grow as I got older, which I intended, I might end up actually achieving a perfect ten on my density. At the time, I didn''t know what that meant, and I doubted my parents did either, but Kazuo definitely did; it meant I was leaving the map, and going into the space of saints and monsters. After a moment to reflect, Kazuo replied.

    ¡°Truly incredibly. Well, as per the Act, I will now confirm your findings.¡± He passed me a seal. I repeated the process, and the readings were the same.

    ¡°Very good. And an interestingly high amount of Yin, with great elemental affinities. You will certainly become an admirable man, Daichi, if you continue to work hard.¡±

    ¡°Of course, thank you, Kazuo-sama!¡± I replied with a little bow. I was pretty damned cheerful; it was hard not to be, getting that kind of praise from the absolute ruler of your territory and your clan patriarch, especially since I was a kid.

    ¡°Very good. I''ll send Haruto over starting Wednesday next week. He''ll train you in the Chains, and starting next weekend you will take classes with my niece, Kushina, who also has the possibility of the chains. She''s a bit more than year older than you, but you seem very mature and I am sure you will become great friends.¡± We thanked Kazuo-sama again, said our goodbyes and left. I was left thinking though.

    Kushina existed, and I had previously learned that Mito did too. The Biju existed. The probability of this world being at least a near-neighbor of a canon Naruto world was significant and getting likelier with everything I was finding out.

    Kushina was in the Academy with Minato and other Konohagakure brats, and Uzushio was invaded around the time that she moved over. That meant I had about two years at the earliest, and six years at the latest, to prepare for the invasion, with it being most likely three or four years.

    I needed to step up my training.

 Chapter 5: Brains and Chains

    Chapter 5: Brains and Chains

    Following our meeting with Kazuo, and my successfully testing a seal to become an official apprentice sealer, I decided to pick up the pace in my personal explorations. For Uzushio and the Uzumaki to survive, we needed a force multiplier. For me to have it ready in time, I needed something to increase the speed at which I worked and learned.

    Two years.

    I had to be ready ¨C more, to be sure that I''d be ready in time. Any extra time would be nice, but ultimately, not something I could be sure of. For me to be ready in two years, I needed to learn faster. I may have been a genius, with one of the best developed chakra systems ever, especially given my age, but the challenge I faced was daunting.

    Looking at the numbers, it was a tough situation. The ¡°village¡± of Uzushio had a population at time a little higher than thirty thousand. Of those, officially, a little under a seventh were in the reserve combat forces or some active formation. That was four thousand people who were at least nominally combatants.

    But, of those four thousand, about a quarter were sealers, and only one in five sealers would be any more effective than, say, a logistics corps genin from another village. Of the remaining two hundred sealers, about one hundred could fight as well as chunin, and the other hundred could match jonin; they''d be glass cannons, since the enemy jonin, probably even chunin, would be faster and have more jutsu, but the battlefield control, both defensive, mobility, and destructive that a good combat sealer could achieve was pretty impressive, especially on a prepared field. Most sealers were in the reserves, or part of logistics units.

    Of the remaining three thousand who had been trained as clan or village guard, about one thousand were in the reserves for a long time and had lost their edge or were logistics units and not particularly combat effective leaving two thousand to provide the bulk of actual combat-focused personnel. Five hundred of those were genin or apprentice warriors (remember, our village had samurai types too). Of the fifteen hundred remaining, about five hundred could match jonin, while the other thousand would probably be better qualified as better-than-average chunin.

    At any given time, about a third of the combat forces were on patrol, attached to National Guard soldier units, or otherwise unavailable. This meant a decapitation invasion targeted at my home would face the following:

    Four hundred jonin-equivalent

    Eight hundred chunin-equivalent

    Two thousand genin-equivalent

    These numbers were actually really good considering our population. In general, as a martial village, there were a number of private citizens who could fight (particularly the women in samurai families, many as well as chunin, some as well as jonin), but they were less organized and more for a ¡°the village is already broken into, how much can we make them bleed¡± scenario.

    Uzushio didn''t really run active combat missions, just protection details for any sealers that left the village and national defense, and we didn''t do repeat business with villages that didn''t take appropriate steps to protect our sealers. Some, volunteers, would go and serve a tour or two with the Leaf, as per our alliance, and bring back new techniques so we stayed current.

    Because of our generally defensive outlook, our men didn''t die nearly as frequently as in other villages, and so tended to reach higher levels on average. On the other hand, our forces were a bit older on average, and had less experience of actual blooding, though all had desensitization training. Our village was wealthy, and had a high proportion of sealers; our troops reflected that, and were on average better equipped and outfitted than our potential foes, especially for things like explosive, protection and trap seals.

    The biggest problem was one of scale; Uzushio was relatively small, and our culture and military planning were designed around being too tough to hit, rather than actually being able to win a war by defeating an enemy nation.

    For comparison, Konohagakure at the time had above two hundred thousand citizens, and a nominal military force of twenty thousand, weighted much more heavily towards semi-crippled reserves, with higher proportions of genin, and a large number permanently committed to supporting the Daimyo''s forces and intelligence gathering operations.

    If they went all out, Konoha could probably put about five hundred jonin or special jonin, a thousand chunin, and twenty-five hundred genin into an assault without seriously stripping the home guard or neglecting their feudal obligations to the Fire Daimyo. Konoha¡¯s troops would be of slightly lower quality overall, and significantly worse equipment for each quality category.

    At the time, Konoha was the largest military force, so you can see why Uzushio couldn''t be invaded by any single village. Especially so since challenging a sealer on their own turf was rightly considered somewhat foolish. Enemy villages rarely worked together, so Uzushio could be forgiven for becoming complacent, not that being forgiven would have saved us.

    A big problem with the invasion I feared was coming was that Uzushio didn''t practice as aggressive population increasing measures as other villages. Ninja villages had high attrition rates and demands for fresh blood. As a result, they tended to evolve cultures that were effective at filling this need. Lightning¡¯s Kumogakure was rumored to engage in significant levels of what I, as a modern person, would consider slavery to provide enough women to fill their ranks; to be fair, in a more historical middle-ages context it wasn¡¯t quite that bad, but even other nations thought that Kumo¡¯s actions were a bit distasteful. Konoha (an example I was more familiar with) had this idea that patriotism, especially for females, was to breed with the strongest male they can, then send the kids to the war-machine.

    Jonin there actually got incentives to have harems. While Uzushio allowed polygamy, consorts and concubines, our long lives and relatively low death rate didn''t necessitate such an aggressive breeding philosophy. But that was for relative peacetime. What that meant during wartime was that our casualties would not replace themselves. And since our troops tended to require more knowledge and skills, we needed a longer time to train them. A series of even relatively minor wars could draw down our population and reduce our institutional knowledge, whittling away at our strength until we failed.

    Uzushio had not been seriously attacked in centuries. If we were attacked, we needed to crush the invaders so completely that they never even thought of it again. I wanted attacking Uzushio to become the Elemental Countries'' version of a land-war in Russia during the winter; an obvious military trap.

    So, there I was, just turned four years old, and I needed a way to at least double, preferably quadruple, our combat potential. Alternatively, I needed to be able to match the combat potential of five hundred jonin on my own. And, to make it even more complicated, I needed to do so without introducing a technology that could be turned against us in the future. For example, guns. Guns were simple enough compared to the local technology level that if an enemy village developed them, their genin might have over-run us. I sure as hell was not introducing anything that could be used against us so easily.

    So that was my challenge. Become a monster, or create a monster of Uzushio, and all within two years. And, as I could hardly prove I was a reincarnation with potential knowledge of the future, I had to do so without being able to get massive resources or support from my village.

    At my then rate of growth, that was impossible. Even assuming I unlocked the chains, and projecting my speed forward, I still needed at least two years of progress to go against a low-strength jonin without special bloodline tricks. Assuming I somehow learned or re-created the shadow-clone jutsu, which, from Tou-san''s explanation on clones, was not known in Uzushio; I might have matched a hundred jonin, though would still have lacked the ability to go after any of the S-ranked titans of the battlefield. This approach was still far from sufficient.

    I decided that if my rate of growth at the time was insufficient, then I needed to improve it. Sort of like investing in infrastructure and research in the beginning of a strategy game. The experience-sharing shadow-clone jutsu, my first choice, was not known to Uzushio then, or if it was, it was at a level far higher than those I had access to (no matter how nice Kazuo-sama was). While I''d need to reinvent the shadow-clone later anyways (or steal it, or somehow purchase it, I wasn''t picky), it was beyond my theoretical understanding. But if I couldn¡¯t think more, I could certainly think better; the avenue I picked was thus thought-acceleration and mental reinforcement.

    I''ve already discussed how internal chakra acceleration makes you faster and stronger. It turns out, that while it could use regular old chakra, using energies weighted towards ki, or yang, yielded better results. As in, a one-to-two parts mixture of mental and physical energies was almost twice as effective at physical reinforcement as a one-to-one chakra mixture. Getting too imbalanced wasn''t good either though, since it took time to change and would make casting jutsu impossible while too imbalanced.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Reinforcement of tissues using chakra was similar, though bone, muscle, tendons, everything had its own optimal mixture. Tou-san was a wealth of information. I wasn''t perfect, or even very good at the time, but I was putting in the effort to improve and perfect myself; all of this knowledge was important for training.

    A similar technique could be done in the mind, but using a predominance of chi (ie yin or mental) energies. The thing was, over-loading anything could cause damage: tears, burns, and chakra induced morbidity were just a few of the possible effects from overload.

    I''d just recovered from losing my brain to disease; I had little desire to experiment with burning it out. That said, my soul was the seat of my mind. I should have been more resilient to this damage than others, and Uzumaki¡¯s, especially those with chakra densities as high as mine, were stupidly regenerative.

    And, if I did die, at least I would have tried.

    By that point, my personal chakra-building, control, and sensing exercises and meditations were somewhat automatic. While they were more efficient when I specifically spent hours every day on them, I could continue to improve by using them in the background. Instead, my main focus became experimentation with neural and mental reinforcement.

    In the days leading up to Haruto, my new tutor''s arrival, I had a bit of time free which was normally used for meditation or extra studying. Since Cousin Kiyoshi was on a long-distance patrol for the month there were no other distractions so I experimented.

    First, I wanted to find the maximum load on a neuron. I reinforced a nerve a bit above the hip, then poked it. I reinforced it a bit more, and continued to do so until I felt a slight burning pinch there, after which the nerve seemed dead. Having found the limit, I set my own personal limit as half that, and began testing this level of reinforcement in other areas where I could afford to lose feeling. I burned out a few more nerves, halved the limit again, then continued testing until I was relatively sure I had found a safe amount. Then I repeated the process using yin-dominant chakra acceleration, which turned out to be basically inherently safe much the same as how the yang-dominant chakra acceleration was for my physical enhancement.

    The moment of truth came as I began to apply these principles to my brain. The first day, I only applied yin-acceleration. It seemed to make me a bit sharper, more aware and focused, increased my reaction speed a fraction. I thought my memory was stronger too, and processing speed faster. All excellent advantages, probably worth another standard deviation, or about fifteen IQ points, but not the gains that I needed. It did however give me the idea to develop yin-reinforcement techniques for my signaling nerves to improve speed in combat.

    The second day, I began to apply the reinforcement to the brain. And holy fuck was it a trip. Turns out, that if you reinforced areas of the brain you reinforced everything that area controlled. Sensations, pain, pleasure, colors, desire to sleep mixed with manic energy, emotions, all of them, at once, mixed with leaps of intuition and moments of clear logic.

    If I didn''t have the memory of being a baby, I think it might have driven me mad; if I didn''t have much of my mind in my soul, I''d have lost control of my chakra and possibly killed myself with a runaway overload. I managed to dial it back though, and began systematic testing of what regions should be reinforced, and how. I was basically getting all of the symptoms from those lists drug companies are obligated to read out in television adds. When not learning from Kaa-san or training with Tou-san, I suffered temporary twitches, random pains, burning feelings, sudden bouts of emotion, hyper-awareness, blindness, irritability, hysteria, even the hiccups, and this just in the days before Haruto arrived.

    Meanwhile, Kaa-san had me started on a whole new set of seals. It turned out that as an apprentice sealer, I was expected to know more ¨C a lot more. I already knew the eighty four symbols of the basic, introductory level. Next, I had to learn every interaction they had, not just as pairs but as groups. Seals interacted somewhat similarly to atoms; anyone that studied atomic theory in solids knows you have to worry not just about the nearest neighbor atoms, but those out several further steps too.

    Although seals had a lot stranger qualities than atoms. Celestial and elemental alignment, dimensional polarization, and chakra orientation were all potential qualities to be worried about. Higher level sealers with a good intuition would often talk about the beauty, hesitancy, and other artistic qualities that could have their own sub-interactions too, though I didn''t have to worry about that much at my level. Apparently, the goal for my level, and what separated out those who can become true masters from those who couldn¡¯t, was the ability to develop an intuition about the interaction of seal symbols. Otherwise, to learn literally millions of combinations ¨C and that only for the most basic symbols ¨C was not really an option.

    Tou-san, not to be outdone in the ¡°fun new stuff now you''re four,¡± had started me on elemental jutsu. As a Water-type, he didn''t know the elemental manipulation training for air, but my water affinity was still strong, being above average even for a clan-member. He was happy to start me off on several exercises to train that. I spent hours focusing on extending my senses into the water, manipulating water from one glass to another, catching rain, and desiccating leaves.

    It went really well. While I may not have trained my elemental affinity before, my chakra itself was highly trained and responsive, as I''d been consciously controlling it from a young age. Further, my concentration was high. I found within days that while focusing I could complete the basic exercises. Tou-san gave me a set of small water balloons and tells me to try and work on keeping one in orbit while I work on other things; this became a new type of meditation for me. Being orbited by small, bright water-balloons was great, filling my inner child¡¯s desire to be like some comic-book character.

    With the first level of manipulation done, he taught me my first water jutsu, the Canteen. The canteen was a jutsu that collected about a liter of water, typically out of the air, but could also be used on existing water sources like a pool or river. It would collect only water; at low levels, it would filter out particulate but not salts, while at higher levels, the water would be completely pure. It was excellent as a way of avoiding being poisoned, and by purposefully adding and then trying to remove salt, served as an excellent training method and way of testing my control of water.

    Not the flashiest jutsu, and my inner-child was a bit disappointed, but as an E-D rank jutsu it was a great choice, since I''d be using for the rest of my life. Literally starting that day; Tou-san banned me from drinking any water that I hadn''t used the canteen jutsu on. He¡¯d even do things like add capsaicin to the water at the dinner table as a trap. At the time I didn''t realize it, but looking back he must have been worried about assassination considering my status as an ¡°amazing prodigy¡±.

    Suffice to say, I was kept so busy by both myself and my parents that I had almost forgotten about Haruto by the time he arrived.

    And what an arrival he made.

    It happened while I was out in a training field, putting in my three hours a day of martial arts practice and physical conditioning. I had already finished my kata and impact-conditioning, and had moved onto workout circuits of running, pushups, pullups, leaps, situps, sprints with rapid direction changes and rolls for dodging, leglifts, burpees. I¡¯d then repeat that circuit ten times until I was properly exhausted. The first seven were without reinforcement; the last three circuits were with, but at an even more brutal pace. And yes, that did suck just as much as it sounds. On the other hand, between that and my chakra reinforcement training, Tou-san said around then that I was as fast as most genin, and stronger per pound.

    I was on my sixth circuit. So there I was, covered in and dripping with sweat, steaming slightly in the cool air. I could barely even see I was focusing so hard, ears buzzing with the sound of blood, pushing my body to the limit and just far enough beyond. And then, while exhausted and distracted, I heard a fwip sound of an incoming projectile and suddenly sensed someone who had been suppressing their chakra.

    I tried to dodge but tripped, luckily falling beneath the object. I rolled, coming to my feet facing the attacker. He moved towards me, fast. It was only my over-reinforcement and hard-gained speed that allowed me to block the first strike, a punishing kick that knocked me over despite my defense.

    He was on me in a moment, flipping me over, capturing an arm behind my back in a half-nelson and placing his other arm around my neck, a knife held in a reverse grip touching both his forearm and my jugular. I froze, filled with panic.

    I thought, in that moment, ''no, No, NO! I can''t die like this, I haven''t done what I needed to, I haven''t lived this life to the utmost, not to this bastard, this child-murdering piece of shit, please, fuck, I NEED TO KILL HIM FIRST!''

    And something heard those prayers. It wasn''t Tou-san or Kaa-san or a passing Kami.

    It wasn''t Haruto either, if you thought that¡¯s where this was going.

    No, I heard that prayer. Or rather, my subconscious and chakra did, and they answered.

    Chakra poured out of me, and in truly obscene amounts too. Enough that it scalded the majority of my skin just from the concentrations of energy. And my chakra, my chains, pierced the enemy and coiled about me, lashing the air protectively. A moment later, the enemy collapsed in a burst of water, and somewhat distantly I heard someone yelling, telling me that everything was alright, that I could withdraw the chains, to just focus on my chakra coming back to me.

    I did, and Tou-san and Kaa-san ran over and hugged me. While I was still a bit shock-y, they told me how proud they were, and how brave I had been, and Tou-san even said he was impressed with my speed and strength and that we''d be starting some more advanced forms the next day.

    Then they motioned, and over came a new man. He looked like he was in his late thirty''s, so was probably at least sixty, maybe more like eighty years old. Kaa-san was glaring at him a bit, and Tou-san looked a bit sheepish.

    ¡°Daichi, this is Haruto-sensei. The attack you just experienced was only simulated danger to get you to activate your chains. Haruto-sensei will be taking over your training in the Adamantine Chains bloodline, and will be providing some advanced training in other arts too,¡± Tou-san explained.

    ¡°Holy shi-¡± I started to reply, still obviously in shock.

    ¡°Language!¡± Oops, I thought. Kaa-san would definitely have me in the doghouse for that later.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry. It''s not every day you get attacked, think you''re going to die, kill the attacker with your previously inactive bloodline, then find out it was all some sort of sadistic test!¡±

    So, yeah, at the time I was a bit pissed. I mean, sneak attack? While I can sympathize, they had to at least allow me to be angry after. I thought I was going to die, that the whole village would fall. And, to my shame, I started to cry. I blamed my tiny body''s child hormones.

    Freaking child body and child emotions.

    And that was how I came to meet Sensei Haruto.

 Chapter 6: Meeting the Firecracker

    Chapter 6: Meeting the Firecracker

    After our eventful meeting, Haruto-sensei explained what exactly it was that he''d be teaching me. It turned out, as I''d somewhat discovered, that the ¡°Chains¡± didn''t normally take the shape of ¡°chains¡± at all, but were normally basically whips or tentacles. The ¡°chain¡± shape was actually a chakra-conservation technique; since the holes didn''t include chakra, it allowed us to make the chains longer.

    This fell into the first category of chains-training: manipulation. This was also used to make the chains pointed, sharper, barbed, or smooth depending on how the target should be restrained or destroyed. Manipulation further covered how quickly the chains moved, and what motions they used to strike.

    Beyond manipulation, there were a few other training categories too. The second category of chains training was manifestation. This included how dense the chains were, their overall length, and overall cross-sectional volume, all of which were typically constant for all chains in use at a time. Advanced users were eventually able to manifest two or more different types of chain.

    Manifestation further covered the chakra balance in the chains. Higher amounts of Yang made the chains stronger, tougher, while higher amounts of Yin made them more fluid and easier to manipulate. Since I had comparatively high levels of Yin, especially for an Uzumaki, I was expected to have an unusually high level of control. Manifestation also included how quickly the chains were generated, and how much chain was generated. A large number allowed greater effect, but over a smaller volume for the same chakra expenditure compared to a single longer chain.

    The third category of training was channeling. This was how the ¡°Sealing¡± chains work, as well as chains that used elemental chakra flow. Channeling was important too if they were being used to do something like restrain Bijuu, and high levels of channeling expertise could allow users to make their chains resistant to enemy elemental chakra flow techniques. The most basic level of channeling was to only allow the user''s chakra to exist within the chains; this prevented the enemy from using a shock jutsu or similar. At a higher level, the chains could also be used to drain an enemy, allowing the free flow of chakra that is either the users, or uncontrolled and elementally neutral.

    Lastly, there was combat training. Or, how to combine manipulation, manifestation and channeling together to block enemy techniques, and slice, tear, crush or capture as desired.

    Haruto-sensei was primarily a wind user, and would be training me in how to use what he called the razor wires, his signature technique. Haruto''s technique used super-dense, very fine chains only as thick as some thin wire. He then used an advanced level of wind chakra flow to make the wires even sharper, and high levels of manipulation to control the rigidity on the fly to strike fluidly and viciously but with a strong cutting edge.

    Haruto demonstrated his technique by cutting a line through the foliage of an oak tree; dozens of branches, some as thick around as my arm, were cut in a moment. He showed off the piercing version of his style too, driving a handful of wires through about a meter of rock before they separated and spun, cutting a whirlpool symbol into it. I was, as you may imagine, extremely impressed. If I could learn this, I would be much stronger. Haruto had my full attention, and found me an apt pupil.

    My training schedule was modified to account for those lessons. He would come twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I would visit on Saturdays to take classes with both him and Kushina. Apparently training the chains was dangerous, and so we would not be training the chains actively together until we had both achieved greater levels of control. Other days, I was expected to spend an average of one and a half hours practicing with the chains.

    This meant that daily, I did the following (note that Uzushio typically ran a day based off of dawn, but for convenience I''ll assume that that is at about six in the morning):

    6 am: Wake up. 30 minutes of meditation, then starting the chakra building exercises and meditations while going through a set of stretches for the day ahead.

    7 am: Eat breakfast with the parents.

    7:30 am: Start morning with physical focused training, including katas and conditioning and physical chakra techniques. Frequently train with Tou-san.

    10:00 am: Finish physical training, eat a snack and start elemental and chakra control training.

    11:00 am: Finish elemental and chakra control training. Wash up.

    11:30 am: Find Kaa-san, train seals.

    1:00 pm: Lunch.

    1:30 pm: Continue learning from Kaa-san. Sometimes work on history or theoretical knowledge beyond seals.

    5:00 pm: Train chains until it gets too dark to continue, either alone or with Haruto-sensei.

    6:30 pm: Eat a snack. Personal training indoors, especially chakra control and growth exercises and meditations. Practice mental reinforcement.

    8:00 pm: Dinner. Tou-san was often still on shift (2-10 pm most days).

    8:45 pm: Bed. Meditate on my own chakra, and on keeping the link between mind and spirit. Focus on planning sneaky or cunning or creative ways to get more powerful, or weapons concepts I could introduce and how to achieve those concepts on a large enough scale to matter.

    10:00 pm: Fall asleep.

    This schedule kept up until the weekend. I continued to focus on my mental reinforcement, and began making progress in identifying what part of the brain interacts with what type of thought, and how much reinforcement effected it. I could significantly, if not hugely, speed up my reaction time in general. I could also enhance my hearing to an extent. It was more of a ¡°enhance the processing of the audible sounds you hear¡± than actually enhancing my hearing though; the latter would be extremely dangerous with loud noises. Instead, this made everything a lot sharper and clearer.

    While useful, it was far from the holy grails that I was searching for: eidetic memory, increased logical processing speed, improved intuition, enhanced muscle memory adaptation and enhanced chakra memory adaptation. With those I would be able to grow several times faster in physical combat, practical and theoretical sealing knowledge, and chakra manipulation.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Less important, though still an eventual goal, was a combat mode consisting of mental and physical reinforcement paired with the release of a combat-cocktail of adrenaline and other drugs that I hoped would be similar to opening the first gates, if less permanently risky to my chakra coils. I had no other way beyond shadow-clones that I could think of in the scarce years I had to prepare, and so had to succeed. I endured headaches, phantom pains, even a small seizure all for my goal.

    Perhaps influenced by my irritation at my continued slow progress and the pain it had caused, I was not as ¡°on the ball¡± as I should have been meeting Kushina. While her importance to the canon plot had likely changed due to me and butterflies, she was still the Clan-head''s niece, and had enough promise to manifest the chains even at such a young age.  If she showed any promise in sealing, and I suspected she would, she would be a fairly strong candidate for next clan head despite her gender.

    On the other hand, when I was introduced to her, she acted the absolute brat. Alternatively whiny, petulant, demanding, argumentative and loud, when she wasn''t being more than one at once, she basically acted the way I should have expected. Here she was, five years old, told how special and clever she was to have unlocked the chains at such a young age, how it showed her excellent breeding. Somewhat more sheltered by her parents than I, due to a combination of parental preference and the demands of my genius, and spoiled due to her station, this was a predictable reaction to me, an interloper.

    So there I was, suddenly taking her Haruto-jisan''s attention, having become more special by unlocking the chains at an even younger age. Not only that, but I had already passed the Apprentice Sealer qualifications, and, unbeknown to me, was being hailed as the hard-working prodigy of the Uzumaki for the speed at which I learned and observations of my training. I was mature and cool and collected even though I was younger than she. In short, I challenged Kushina''s childish world-view and her self image.

    And so I should have anticipated that she would somewhat explode at me after I told her to ¡°Calm down, Firecracker,¡± when she was being overly loud and aggressive. Suffice to say, the day''s training was delayed while a long-suffering Haruto dealt with her emotions after excusing me for the day.

    In my defense, she was driving me a bit nuts. I wanted to grab her and shake her, tell her that she had a duty to her family, our clan, our village and nation. That her very existence may have doomed us; so closely related to Mito-sama, with the sealing chains, able to breed and likely to develop an attachment to Konoha, especially if Uzushio were destroyed.

    I had no trust for the leaf; for Uzushio, with all our seals to fall, and our ally to be absent? And, if I remembered correctly, there may even have been Root ANBU taking part in the assault. For this brat, this brat that so happily accepted the platitudes of Konoha and allowed herself, allowed Uzushio, everything I valued there, my family, to be sacrificed, burned, destroyed for paltry benefit to those two-faced bastards, those scum in human skins? And for this child, the potential cause of so much misery and suffering, to be such a brat?

    Well, it may not have been mature, but I had few fucks to give and threw myself back into training.

    The next week of training went well. I made a conceptual breakthrough in both sealing and my mental reinforcement, on the same day to boot. I started to get a good sense just as my day''s seals training was coming to an end on how the seals might combine, something which was still on my mind when I later moved onto my mental reinforcement.

    I realized that the best way to enhance my mind to achieve things like eidetic, or at least improved, visual memory was to improve the memory region, the visual signal, and the aid the transfer and permanence between the two.  Basically, I was looking at parts of the brain as functional elements, and reinforcing those that were responsible for certain cognitive tasks. After that week of practice, I could take mental photographs and videos, and even link in my chakra sensing.

    That wasn''t the week''s only progress. As mentioned, I also achieved level one seals intuition. When Kaa-san tested me, she was so proud she got teary, and almost cracked a rib she hugged me so hard (no, seriously, I had to reinforce it). As a more material bonus, I got my own dictionary with the first level of seals unlocked. Dictionaries only unlocked depending on intuitive understanding as a safety measure; the fact that I had one may have been a record.

    As a note, despite the intuition, the dictionary was still pretty crucial.  Intuition only meant that the user had a very good idea on how to combine symbols that they already knew to get a specific result.  In a computer programmer, it would be like knowing how to write code without bugs.  Considering a sealing ¡°bug¡± could kill the practitioner, that was pretty critical.  But the dictionary was what had the full list of symbols and their information to use.  It also let a user take a completed seal (done via intuition), and then back-track, checking that the practitioner hadn¡¯t missed anything.  The reason that the Uzumaki were such unbeatable sealers was the combination of the deep theoretical background available in the dictionaries, and the individual intuition as a result of the bloodline.

    After Kaa-san told me how hard it is to achieve that kind of intuition, and so quickly too, the thought passed my mind that all this reinforcement mucking about, especially combined with how I''d been spending so much time practicing seals, might have resulted in pools of available spiritual chakra being re-purposed to modify my mind to be even more suited towards sealing.

    That, or I was just that badass (or, more likely, it was a remnant artifact of having touched on some deeper truths while reincarnating).  I was happy with any of those options.

    Either way, after a test on Thursday I was suddenly Uzushio''s newest sealing Initiate, the term for someone with intuition on first-level seals. Second-level and above, for reference, were titled ¡°Adepts¡±, with Fourth-level being ¡°Experts¡± and Sixth-Level ¡°Masters¡±. Eighth level or above were Grandmasters; only a half dozen Uzumaki were recorded as becoming Grandmasters in so many centuries.

    There was chatter that at that rate I might be the next Grandmaster sometime in my lifetime. Either way, I brought myself and my parents, especially my mother, a lot of honor. Tou-san got off shift early and we went out for a special celebratory dinner.

    Of course, in his typical, endearing competition with Kaa-san as to who could train me better, he announced that he thought I was ready to test for my Basic Instructor''s level in Whirling-Fist and then start in with weapons. I was so happy, both due to my parents'' pride and my own progress that I was still wearing the smile two days later for my second ¡°joint-training session¡±.

    I''d reflected a bit, on why that first meeting with Kushina went so poorly, and was a bit disappointed in myself. She may have been a bit of a bratty kid, but I understood her circumstances. It was also totally unfair for me to blame her for what I estimated to be Konoha''s actions in an alternate time-line. I endeavored to make our second meeting better than the first, and immediately bowed and asked her forgiveness. From the surprise on her face, it was like I had done a full dogeza (formal Japanese kneeling prostration).

    She was so taken aback, blushing and stammering that I couldn''t help but chuckle, which of course irritated her again. Somewhat panicked, I said the only thing I could think of.

    ¡°Sorry, Firecracker-princess, but your blushing is just a bit cute!¡± Of course, I used the ambiguous kind of language that meant it could be ¡°cute like how a kitten is cute¡±, but also ¡°attractive¡±; this sent her into another paroxysm of blushing and stammering that I couldn''t say that and she wasn''t ready to be married like in the stories and she didn''t know me and I hadn''t saved her from an evil dragon. Haruto, off to the side, could barely contain himself.

    And that is the tale of my first and second meetings with Kushina, the Firecracker, or, as she''d later be come to be known, the Fireworks.

 Chapter 7: Fireworks Show

    Chapter 7: Fireworks Show

    Following my second, more successful meeting with Kushina, things settled down into something of a pattern of improvement. With Tou-san''s intense last-minute preparation, I successfully passed my Basic Instructor''s level in Whirlpool fist, which allowed me to officially instruct up to (but not including) Basic Instructor level to anyone I chose.

    This was about equivalent to, say, a 1st Dan (1st degree Black belt) on Earth. There was still more to learn, and much more to refine, but it showed basic expertise in the style and the trustworthiness to teach it to others. It was a pretty big deal; as Uzushio and the Uzumaki were official a military village and martial clan respectively, achieving certain levels of proficiency in any combat art came with an automatic rank in the reserves.  In this case, it gave rank equivalent to a leading genin who would be 2nd in command of a 4-man genin cell, behind the traditional chunin or genin-corporal. Given my age and lack of other qualifications, I would officially be on ¡°extended leave¡±.

    Still, if I were to be going a traditional ninja route in a place like Konoha, and became, say, an elite-track genin under a jonin leader, it meant I would automatically be the superior of my team-mates (unless they had some similar qualification). The whole thing may be a bit silly from an outside perspective, but as a mark of respect and honor, it was a big deal.

    I''d never have made it so fast without my prior understanding of martial arts; I mostly had to learn the Whirling-Fist kata and combinations and philosophy, then drill muscle memory rather than learn to move and strike in the first place. Even then, it took years of training several hours a day, much of it under a Expert Instructor and combat veteran, and in later months with my muscle-memory enhanced by my mental reinforcement.

    The test itself was on the kata and techniques, as well as interpretations of how the kata were applied. There was also a physical capability test, and one of my chakra reinforcement and speed. Lastly, there was a spar against an Advanced Instructor; I didn''t win, but did extremely well, especially given the size disparity.

    Tou-san, pleased with my success, added knife-combat to our practices at my request, and showed how the kata and combinations were modified to account for both parties being at least somewhat armed. He told me that once I was proficient with these and had passed my Advanced Instructor''s test that he would start me on swordsmanship.

    Tou-san also decided that I was good enough at my manipulation and canteen-jutsu to start in on my next water technique, the water-clone. Water clones were pretty interesting, since they were about the same density as the jutsu-user, and had similar speed. Thus they made for a much more realistic distraction, since they sank into the ground a similar amount, sounded the same, and had little difference in movement compared with the original.

    Compare this to other clones: Illusion clones didn''t interact with the environment; a glance at the feet would show them for what they were, and they made no sound. Earth based clones tended to be very heavy, and sink into the ground. More esoteric clones tend to fall under one of these two categories too, either above or below the real user¡¯s attributes. As a further, water clones would ¡°bleed¡± for a bit if struck, unless so much damage was dealt that they disperse completely. Still, this could provide a split second of distraction that''s needed, especially if the enemy relaxed thinking they had won.

    The problem with water clones was that they were weak. While they were quick and fluid, they could not exert nearly the same maximum force on an object, and could explode if they hit something hard enough due to the shock wave. Water clones, like many other elemental clones, were also stupid. Unlike the shadow-clone of anime fame (kage-bushin), which came with an automatic duplicated intelligence, clones came with a set of commands. The greater your affinity, and the more chakra you put into them, the tougher the clones would be against shock, the longer they would last, and both more and more complex commands could be programmed. Higher affinity also helped with detail, making the clone look like the user.

    Learning the clone jutsu wasn''t hard. Learning how to program them, and making them a bit more lifelike in appearance, was a real challenge though. Right when I first started, most of my clones looked a bit creepy, somewhere in the ¡°uncanny valley¡± along with mannequins and other humanoid objects. With time and training they improved, but while I could see the use in them, Water Clones were hardly the trump that I was looking for, and so I merely got them to an acceptable level. Eventually, I would develop or learn the shadow-clone technique for all my cloning needs. Instead, I spent a fair bit of time and focus on improving the replacement technique.

    While a skilled sensor could sense it at a fair distance, and just about any jonin was skilled enough to sense the replacement if they were nearby, it was still a great way to avoid large scale attacks that were highly damaging or difficult to dodge. It was a relatively low chakra technique, and was a major precursor of the shunshin, or body flicker technique. That was definitely a technique worth mastering, especially if I could use a modified version to make me generally faster instead of just increasing burst-linear movement. I hoped that if I could get the replacement technique down to a single half-seal, or no seal at all, that Tou-san would teach me the flicker.

    Eventually I reached my goal, and impressed with my dedication to the replacement technique, and satisfied with my adequate replacement technique, Tou-san showed me both the shunshin and the Mist Generation technique, similar to what Zabuza used in the fanfics I read all those years ago back on Earth. That said, Tou-san didn''t train me in silent killing or anything, though I was learning some stealth stepping techniques in Whirlpool fist at the time.

    Tou-san did talk about how to combine the jutsu with my natural sensor skills, and how the use the technique to create cover.  It¡¯s hard to hit what you can¡¯t see, and the Mist Generation jutsu was great at quickly covering large areas in impenetrable fog.  As a sensor, I had a massive advantage within it too, so long as my enemy wasn¡¯t a sensor.  Another use of the technique was for when the user was heavily outnumbered ¨C the dense fog made it difficult to coordinate with allies, and allowed the user to turn a many-vs-one fight into a series of one-on-one engagements; if they were lucky, the enemies might even get hit by friendly fire.

    Tou-san also mentioned I should ask Haruto-sensei for some help with my sensor skills, as he was apparently fairly proficient himself. Tou-san and I focused a fair bit on that technique while he was training me so that I could achieve anything from a heavy fog with minimal chakra traces to imitate a real one, all the way to a spooky cloud that was so impregnated with my chakra that even sensors would not be able to locate me within it, and that those with eye-based bloodlines would find it impenetrable.

    What people often mistook about ninja-based training was that it wasn¡¯t really designed to turn people into death-dealing combat gods.  That was more the samurai¡¯s deal.  Think about the classic genin skills: body replacement (kawarimi), illusion clone (bunshin), self-anchored illusion (henge).  None of those were remotely offensive.  They werere all designed so that a kid can escape and evade a large number of chakra-less or low-chakra city guardsmen, militia, or low-ranking soldiers.  The Mist technique was similar; it wasn¡¯t meant to make me more deadly, it was meant to increase my survivability.  And at that, it excelled.

    As for my training with Kaa-san, I was learning all the seal-elements that made up the second level of seals, and developing my intuition as to how they interacted with each other. She also had me making custom explosion seals, determining the size, heat/light/concussive force mixture, color, and timing of the explosion. It was a lot of fun (who doesn¡¯t love fireworks?) but actually fairly complicated.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    While they may have seemed simple, especially since Naruto had everyone tossing explosion seals about like confetti, your average explosion tag was anything but. Each one consisted of several separate sealing circuits combined into one whole seal. There was a main storage, which the user filled to power the seal. There was the indicator, that interacts with the main storage to indicate the seal was full and that the user should not feed the seal chakra unless they planned on activating the seal. Then there was the primer storage, which slowly empties; this was what the user fed a small bit of chakra when they planned on using the seal.

    It turned out, the seal actually filled the primer when the user first filled the main power, so the seal needed a counter to detect whether it has been filled once (don''t activate) or twice (do activate after the primer is empty); the primer emptying provided the fuse, so too thick a line there and the seal will literally take the user¡¯s hand off. Then there was a feed circuit that took the chakra from the main storage and converted it to some combination of energies with some kind of bounding to make the explosion more potent within that space. And this was just for the most basic of explosion tags.

    As a fun project, Kaa-san had me set up a fireworks show, after which she promised we would start in on functional sealing scrolls to store objects. I took full advantage of the ability to experiment, and wheedled Kaa-san into teaching me a number of second and even third level boundary seals to shape the explosions.

    Among the tags I made, three were particularly applicable to combat. The first I made was a high intensity directed flame attack that was hot enough to burn through a quarter inch of steel plate at thirty feet. I called it the Dragon''s Breath seal.  It honestly wasn¡¯t anything unique; other sealers had designed similarly motivated seals of similar efficacy, and Uzushio¡¯s shops tended to stock a good variety for qualified buyers (eg, members of our military forces).

    The second tag I made was a type of semi-persistent flash-bang seal that would continue making explosions within a bounded space around the seal; these explosions were loud enough to be slightly painful, and could be bright enough to blind for up to an hour at close range. The point of the seal was to make it impossible to fight for anyone without some kind of chakra-based sensing system; as a potent sensor, this would help me, and many Uzumaki with similar skills. This, I gave the rather innocent name of a Sparkler Seal.

    The third seal was by far the most complicated yet elegant. It created a bounded chakra field, then condensed the field into a three dimensional spiderweb pattern. This pattern was then itself used as a circuit, and flowed through the seal to convert the nature of the chakra to make it closer and closer to fire until it exploded. It was by far the most advanced seal I designed, as it was essentially a seal that made the surrounding air itself into a second, temporary seal.

    The cool thing about the seal was that it was extremely cheap in chakra costs, since the majority of the chakra came from the local environment. Also, because the spider-web shape, it would be extremely effective at causing damage with a small actual volume of effect being used to damage large objects (ie humans) in the overall area of effect.

    The use of natural chakra, and the time that the seal persisted, made it extremely suited to landmines which trapped, fed on leaked enemy chakra, and killed the enemy, but also denied the area for anywhere between a half minute and five minutes, with larger fields lasting longer.  It addressed a big issue with automatic land-mine style seals, which was a field could be cleared quickly by suicide-clones; with this, the field would still be cleared, but it would take a lot longer.  Considering landmines were, much like on Earth, only really useful when supported by troops, that was fine. I called it the Spider''s Seal.

    Kushina and Haruto-sensei were invited to the show, as were a number of extended family members, and we ate cherries and these delicious sweet bean rice buns. Kushina was very taken with the idea of being able to make fireworks, and apparently demanded that whoever it is that was teaching her sealing begin instructing her. I felt kind of guilty at that; I wasn¡¯t sure I was responsible enough to play with explosives, but Kushina sure as shit wasn¡¯t.

    Hikaru jii-san, my mother''s father and a full-on sealing master, was quite impressed, and told me that he would start tutoring me after Kaa-san thought I was ready. Overall, the evening was a great success. The next morning, Kaa-san started me in on sealing seals (which I still think need some sort of better name. Sadly, dimensional subspace scrolls was both somewhat in-accurate and lengthy to say), and I went back to more conventional training.

    The training with Haruto-sensei was not progressing as quickly. Learning to control the chains was kind of like learning to play the piano, but with dozens of individual fingers, all of which were new and had no reflexive kinesthetic sense. And, just to make everything a bit tougher, the piano keys were made of eggshells and couldn''t be broken.

    I think the analogy may have escaped me a bit, but suffice to say, it was hard.

    I learned how to control a pair of chains first, and how to manipulate their motion and begin to refine their shape. Apparently I was doing well and learning quickly, but it was basically learning a set of highly complicated chakra control exercises, some at a fairly long range, while also learning how to use a whip-like weapon. It didn''t play to any of my pre-established strengths, and my chakra control, while excellent for someone of my age and chakra reserves, was not so instinctual that it could simply overpower these issues.

    I decided that my chains would significantly benefit from some correctly applied mental reinforcement, and began to focus on reinforcing the chakra memory reflexes. While significantly more difficult than the visual eidetic memory, it was not impossible. I achieved it a bit more than a week later by enhancing the sensation of the chakra-sense and combining it with mostly emotional memory reinforcement. Interestingly emotional memory seemed more linked to chakra control than other types of memory.

    There was still the issue that I was making a lot of mistakes; I didn¡¯t want to burn the wrong things into my memory, and needed to overcome that issue too. With my physical training, I could simply do the motion perfectly but slowly, then over time speed up, going faster and faster, burning the memory in again and again.  But with chakra memory, that wasn¡¯t an option.

    To overcome that issue, I experimented.  I found that by enhancing the short term memory constantly, I would have a perfect, temporary buffer of all my chakra manipulations. When I stopped reinforcing, and in fact scrambled it a bit, the memory of mistakes would fade. Then, whenever I did something correctly, I could flash-reinforce the long term memory.

    I had achieved perfect chakra memory. The technique was pretty new, and hard for me to achieve, so I could only use it in general, methodical training until it became more automatic, something which would come with practice.

    The chakra memory technique wasn''t perfect, since there would still be residual information from my chakra sensing and personal state, but it massively accelerated my growth in chakra manipulation, especially for my chains, chakra control exercises and elemental manipulation exercises. It also helped with removing handsigns from jutsu so I could cast faster as well as using techniques one-handed while wielding a sword in my other hand.

    By the end of the month, I had completed the intermediate levels of water and wind manipulation (basic, intermediate, advanced, expert, master), and could control two chains up to twenty meters (60 feet). The chains were still a bit crude, and very far from Haruto-sensei''s masterpieces, but they did now look vaguely like chains, and I could make the edges sharper and serrated. The chains could also move fast enough to catch the average chunin. My chakra reinforcement improved a bit faster too, and I started seeing better gains from my meditations and exercises, which became easier to perform in the background.

    Haruto-sensei, pleased and somewhat astounded at my progress, taught me the Bubble technique. Like the Canteen technique in Water, the bubble technique was a relatively simple one. It created a bubble of pure air around the user''s head, banishing dust and other particulate matter. As the user got better, he could remove harmful gasses too, and the bubble would get larger and persist for longer. The bubble technique was commonly used as a precursor to the Air-shield technique which was particularly effective against fast moving projectiles, and the more advanced vacuum-shield technique which could reduce the severity of incoming fire and lightning attacks.

    Haruto-sensei also began to teach me the advanced level of wind-manipulation which consisted of the Wind-flow techniques to use a wind-sheathe to sharpen projectiles. While I had not mastered them, my progress was extremely rapid, and Haruto sensei extremely impressed.

    Overall, I was doing reasonably well, but still had a long way to go to meet my objectives.

 Chapter 8: Wolves

    Chapter 8: Wolves

    Another week later, as I was just done demonstrating my expertise in wind-flow combined with my chakra chains (I was only allowed to practice this with one chain without supervision, and two chains with, due to the inherent danger), Haruto sensei asked me a question.

    ¡°How is it that you learn these things so quickly? It took me almost a year to get these chakra flow techniques to that level. Even then, I was much older and considered a prodigy because I learned Wind techniques so easily.¡± A bit taken aback, I decided to answer honestly. My plans needed me to have at least some influence, and I''d need people other than my parents to vouch for me. Haruto-sensei was a senior and highly respected Uzumaki combatant, sort of like Gai or Kakashi in canon Naruto.

    ¡°Ah, well, Haruto-sensei, that''s a bit complicated. See, the first part is when you were learning these techniques. You were probably already in active service, right?¡± as he nodded, I continued. ¡°So, you had patrol, and regular wind practice, and were probably doing shopping and chores, and physical training, team training, and maybe a girl you liked?¡± He smiled, and nodded again.

    I nodded too. ¡°Right. I don''t have any of those distractions. I wake up, train, eat, train and sleep. Every day. In this last week alone, I''ve put in over ten hours of training, specifically on the wind-flow manipulation. That''s probably as much training as you could put in during a month, and it being closer together helps, I think, both for my mind, and for my body''s memory of the chakra manipulation.¡± His eyes widened a bit at that, likely impressed (and perhaps a bit horrified) by my dedication at such a young age.

    ¡°That''s the first reason,¡± I continued. ¡°The second is because I am young. Young people learn things faster, and things become part of themselves easier than for older people. It also helps that I''ve been practicing internal chakra manipulation before I could speak, so I think I''m more suited to using chakra than most other people, again because of how I''ve developed since a young age. I''m lucky, too, to have a very strong wind affinity and excellent chakra stores; I can practice full-out, using as much chakra as it takes to succeed, without worrying about being tired, so I can improve faster.¡±

    ¡°That all makes sense,¡± he replied, ¡°and explains how quickly you''ve been learning and growing as I''ve been teaching. But you got a lot better just recently. Did you have some sort of epiphany?¡± At this, I understood what he was getting at. Chakra is partially spiritual. That''s not understood enough a lot of the time, especially with lower level ninja and chakra users.

    At higher levels of chakra users, many understood that the spiritual explanation was often just as important. There was a reason that few would challenge a senior monk in jutsu; certain koans or riddles meant to expand the mind were capable of inherently improving the user''s chakra (typically control or elemental manipulation) once understood. This knowledge was also one of the reasons why clans had such a leg up; they had repositories of knowledge, philosophical treatises written by past masters and living experts to pass on the small, subtle, but critical hints and tricks to optimize jutsu.

    Haruto wanted to know if I had discovered such an epiphany; if I had, it would be an excellent indication of my potential, and potentially a boon to the many wind-users of Uzushio. Unfortunately, I had not; I had, however, experienced kensho several times while meditating on the wind, though any claims from a child of such would be highly suspect. In truth, my deep spiritual power did massively improve my learning rate and potential, especially of this sort of deeper knowledge and personal understanding.

    I shook my head. ¡°Unfortunately, I have had no new epiphanies, though I do meditate on the wind every day. Instead, and this was what I was getting to, I''ve recently had a breakthrough in a technique I''ve been developing. From a very young age, basically as long as I can remember, I''ve noticed my own and others'' chakra; this isn''t that unusual for an Uzumaki sensor. But, I played with it, and eventually came up with internal chakra flow acceleration and chakra reinforcement. From this, and the use of yang chakra to enhance physical reinforcement, I developed the idea of using yin or mental chakra to perform mental reinforcement.¡± Haruto was looking stunned. Probably at a combination of my ridiculous genius (not knowing my mind, at least, is older than I appear), and at my luck in not killing myself.

    I took the opportunity to continue before he could explode. ¡°I know it''s dangerous. In fact, it''s so crazily dangerous that I think that if I didn''t have a strong regeneration potential even for an Uzumaki that I might be dead or insane or broken. And, I think you have to start young for it to work; just in sensing, I''ve noticed that kids¡¯ brains are more flexible and change more than adults. I think the brain becomes somewhat more resistant to change as time goes on, so it probably needs to adapt to these kinds of techniques before it gets too set, or it''s even more dangerous.

    ¡°But, I was careful. First, I started with nerves outside of my brain, and reinforced them to failure until I could determine safe levels, and experimented with reinforcing nearby tissues to detect any chakra conduction or leakage issues. Then, I carefully reinforced my brain with small amounts in specific places after I meditated so I could detect any changes. I messed up, a lot, but I figured out how to safely do two things so far: I can give myself eidetic visual memory, and chakra reflex memory.¡± Done, I gave him a moment to reflect.

    ¡°Incredible,¡± he said with a hint of awe quickly turning to disapproval. ¡°Truly, incredibly. Insane, poorly thought out, massively dangerous, and a remarkably poor show of judgment for someone of your intelligence, but still incredible. I''m not sure if I should praise you or punish you right now.¡±

    ¡°It wasn''t that bad a judgment!¡± I protested. ¡°I survived, and am fine, aren''t I? Nothing even took more than a half hour to recover from.¡±

    ¡°First off, you didn''t know that would happen when you started,¡± he countered. ¡°Second, you didn''t think to practice on a rabbit or something, and look at long term effects? Baka!¡± My eyes were wide as he gave a light smack to my head to emphasize his words. ¡°And what about interactions with genjutsu, or foreign chakra, or your future development. Why the hell did you feel the need for this anyways? You already learn faster and work harder than anyone else I''ve ever seen, and I''m considered a monster myself.¡± At this, I got a lot grimmer.

    ¡°I think war is coming to Uzushio.¡± I''d been planning a conversation like this for a while. I had the benefit of possible-future knowledge, but needed a way of convincing others. It always helped an analysis when you knew the conclusion to reach.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°What? Why?¡± he asked, frowning. ¡°You can''t have heard anything on a mission, and I''d know if there was any intelligence indicating an attack.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°No, no, it''s only logic. Allow me to explain. Ninja are kind of like wolves. Fast breeding wolves. And villagers and nobles are like rabbits and deer. When there aren''t very many wolves, but lots of deer and rabbits, the wolves are all happy and fed. If two wolf packs meet each other, well, they may not be friends, and some young wolves may fight to prove themselves, but there is nothing serious.

    ¡°But, a generation later, when all of these fed wolves used to plenty have bred, there are now too many wolves. If the wolves don''t want to eat all their rabbits, and all their deer, so that they have more in the future, then they must take the rabbits and deer of other wolves, and protect their own. And now, when wolf-packs meet, they have reason to fight.¡±

    As I continued speaking, I could see him start to nod, understanding where I was going with the argument. ¡°Back during the Warring Clans era, these packs were small; we, Uzushiogakure, were large enough and strong enough that none could challenge us. But now, Konoha, Iwa, Kumo, Kiri, Suna, all are large enough, and have enough allies, that they might think they could destroy us. We are known as a powerful people, and would likely task any one enemy more heavily than they could afford, but they may alliance against us. Suna is isolated, and has no interest in a nation of islands. Konoha are our allies, so they may be ignored. But for Iwa, Kumo and Kiri I fear this is not the case.¡±

    My voice was soft and grimly resolute. ¡°Uzushio''s alliance with Konoha is dangerous. We are strong, yes, and our sealers present an increase in combat potential that scales very well with numbers, so we make Konoha much stronger than it would be alone. In return, we get intelligence services and ninja to call upon. But, the problem with creating danger to others is it makes them have reason for your destruction.

    ¡°Iwa hates Konoha, partially due to their Kages. To defeat Konoha, an excellent first move would be to remove us. Looking at a map, it seems improbable. Until you consider that Kumo too has reason to remove us. They are a militarily focused village, and our fleets and forces present a raiding threat on their seaward flank if they ever enter conflict with Konoha. Further, our destruction would weaken Konoha. If Iwa allies with Kumo to deal with us, then they need only pass through territories whose ninja look to either Iwa or Kumo for leadership.

    ¡°Lastly, Kiri resents us for two reasons. First, we are a challenge to their dominance over ninja affairs involving ships; while ours fly under Whirlpool''s Daimyo''s flag, ninja care little for our distinctions. Second, we are a threat to their philosophy; Uzushio, which treats its citizens well, and cares little for bloodshed, is significantly more profitable and prosperous than Kirigakure with it''s focus on blood and killing. This is a threat to them internally, as our very example of continued existence gives lie to the idea that they must be brutal killers to survive. Thus, Kiri too has cause to desire our destruction.

    ¡°What then would these wolves gain if they were to turn on us? Iwa would weaken Konoha. Kumo would expand into the territories to the North East of the Land of Fire as Iwa pushes in from the North West. And Kiri would gain our own territories, and might be allowed to operate with impunity up and down the coast.

    ¡°So, I have established that wolves fight for territory when hungry, and that they have cause to want our territory. The only question, then, is are they hungry? And I fear that the answer is becoming yes, in these years. It has been a generation since the last war, and the villages are finally seeing this new generation come into its own. Full of notions of glory and mastery, and with a limited pool of resources which can be gleaned from the nobles, merchants and civilians, these wolves have already started to growl at each other from the edges of their territories. Judging by our increased usage of Konoha ninja to conduct anti-pirate operations by folding up the organized criminal groups that deal with their money and goods on the mainland, I would guess that the missions have become cheaper, which would only happen if Konoha''s supply of ninja were higher.

    ¡°Further, you should remember that these wolves have little knowledge of the fire of our seals. They likely don''t realize how capable Uzushio is, since we do not compete with them. Instead, we protect our people and live our lives. But for wolves who survive without making anything, and only eat the fat of the land, we likely appear weak and impotent. Where we see restraint, they see weakness, protectiveness, cowardice. Their leaders may recall well that Uzushio created the Jinchuriki, and fear our power, but this will only serve to temper their plans with caution while being driven by the arrogance of their rank and file.

    ¡°I would guess that we have anywhere from a year to a decade before the wolves are at each others'' throats, but fear that we will feel their bite first. If pressed, I would estimate three years before these wolves are at our doors. To be sure in our preparations, we should be ready in two. As a somewhat known prodigy, I may be a target. In extremis, I will be deployed; after all, officially, I am already in the reserves as an assistant instructor of Whirlpool Fist. But most importantly, I want to do everything I can to ensure our survival.¡±

    As I finished my speech, Haruto looked somewhat sad. He knelt down, looking me in the eye, and pulled me into a hug for several seconds. Drawing away, he held me at arms length and wryly smiled.

    ¡°You truly are incredible,¡± he said. ¡°And I think you may be right concerning the current situation; this is something I will bring up with Kazuo-sama when I have tea with him later this week. But it should not be your concern, especially not so young. That said, now that I know about your unique technique ¨C which will not be taught to others, or ever, ever mentioned to those who might foolishly try and copy it ¨C I will be training you harder than every before. By the end of the year, I expect you to have mastered the expert level of wind manipulation, a year after that, be an acknowledge wind master. I also expect that you will achieve a proficiency in your chains at least equal to mine when I was thirty. Does that sound like fun?¡±

    I blanched a bit; by the age of thirty, Haruto was already known as the Razor-Wind after a battle against a clan of ninja that also operated as a major crime family. They had attempted to expand into Wave, and had killed a detachment of Uzushio village-guard attached to the local garrison. Haruto, their commander at the time, had walked into the clearing near the capital where the criminals were gathered, and killed all forty-eight of them with a minute.

    Haruto''s wires were so thin that they would float on a breeze. Per the story, he floated the wires in as a cloud around him using passive wind manipulation rather than an active technique. When the enemy refused to surrender, he whipped up a bit of a squall while using wind-flow. The wire-chains whipped around, slicing through everything and everyone.

    A large clean-up seal was used for all human biological material. Apparently one had been cut into four pieces; this was the fewest number of pieces for a single person out of the whole group. The largest number of pieces was twenty four. The seal was then sent as a warning to the criminal ninja clan home on the mainland. No one from that clan has been seen in Whirlpool territory since.

    So, when Haruto said he''d be training me to that level, and expected me to achieve it within my stated two years, as well as all his other chain techniques by that age, I was understandably a bit daunted. It was nice of him though; he didn''t want me to worry too much about a possible invasion, but thought I could handle being prepared to a level which would help whether I was or was not attacked.

    Of course, that wouldn''t stop me from worrying, and preparing. I did, after all, have my goal. Uzushio would not fall.

 Chapter 9: Kiyoshis return.

    Chapter 9: Kiyoshi''s return.

    About a month and a half after the conversation with Haruto-sensei I was practicing when I noticed the signal for the return of the sixth escort group, which was the group that cousin Kiyoshi''s unit was assigned to. I was so excited to see him and show him everything I learned, especially after he¡¯d been on patrol for months, even coming back late.

    Well, maybe I wouldn''t tell him about my mental reinforcement. I¡¯d further improved that to the point where I could now achieve near perfect physical reflex memory, as well as logic processing speed boosts and a semi-accidental skill in memorizing chakra-sensing memories (which I used almost like a budget Sharingan but more limited to the basics than something with hand-signs). Unfortunately I wasn¡¯t yet at the point of having the full suite of enhancements. I wouldn''t want Kiyoshi, who was somewhat young and thought himself immortal, to practice mental reinforcement and break himself.

    But I''d certainly mention everything else I''ve learned, and rub in how quickly I was growing.

    Tou-san had started me on swords after declaring my speed ¡°acceptable for a new chunin¡± while reinforced, as well as refining the expert level of water manipulation which I was almost fully through. I could fully shunshin within a quarter second and a half-hand-sign too. Haruto-sensei meanwhile had put me at ¡°three, maybe four years worth of my own chains skill on a good day,¡± and after a fair bit of focus on my wind manipulation exercises had declared me ready to start in on the mastery exercises, though I still practiced expert level exercises too.

    Both Tou-san and Haruto-sensei were focused on the basics of elemental chakra manipulation since I had time to learn and it would make future techniques easier. That said, they had taught the basic Wind/Water bullet and Wind/Water blade. Mostly because the former was a useful technique to practice rapid elemental projection, while the latter was good for shape control.

    Kaa-san too was pleased with my progress; I could write basic dimensional seals and had developed second level intuition. She was already teaching me her own warding/area-control specialty and how to write seals with chakra alone. After I learned enough of that, she was planning on passing me off to Hikaru jii-san to continue my education. In all, my skills would have been promising as a fifteen year old. I wasn''t yet five.

    It was the afternoon, and I was training with Haruto-sensei when I saw it. ¡°Sensei! Look, the sign that Kiyoshi-nii''s back.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. I know you won''t be able to focus, so why don''t we go down and greet him?¡± I nodded, grinned, and disappeared in a shunshin a moment later, reappearing at the docks. Haruto followed, and we both watched as a small fleet limped into port.

    The ships, particularly the escorts, were damaged. One showed extensive burns, another was missing a mast, the third escort appeared fine until it completed a turn and revealed a massive gash through the side. I was somewhat surprised it was even sea-worthy like that.

    A number of harbor-patrol water-users went out in smaller boats and shepherded the ships in to dock. Medics rushed on board, some returning at a sprint towards the hospital carrying people on stretchers. I was starting to worry; the ships had obviously met with trouble. But, I told myself, Kiyoshi was strong, and so he should have been alright.

    We waited as people began leaving the ship, but didn''t see Kiyoshi. Next to us a family was re-united with what I was guessing was their uncle, the mother of the group''s brother. Next, he came over to us.

    ¡°Daichi-kun?¡± he asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Yes, Patrol-sergeant san?¡± I read from his uniform.

    ¡°You probably don''t remember me, but Kiyoshi introduced us when we were leaving on patrol. I''m very sorry to tell you this. We were attacked by pirates led by ninja, missing Mist-nins. Kiyoshi fought like an eagle, and saved many lives, but he didn''t make it. He was a true hero of Whirlpool. I''m sorry for your loss.¡±

    I was stunned. Haruto''s hand tightened on my shoulder, a reassurance. I just¡­ didn''t know what to think. For all my personal experiences, I was unfamiliar with others, especially those I cared about dying. I mean, some oldest members of the family had died back on Earth, but that was the natural state of things. Oh, I hated it, the idea of death, but at least they lived full lives.

    I''d had a couple close friends in the military who went aviation, which was a dangerous community more from training accidents than enemy action; I''d worried at the time, but both had survived. And because I died young, I didn''t have to deal with others that were close to me, or young, or what have you dying. So, I was in shock.

    But manners were something that both sets of parents had drilled me in, and that''s how I defaulted.

    ¡°My thanks for your consideration, Patrol-sergeant san,¡± I replied shakily with a bow. The man looked a bit sad, clapped me on the shoulder, and left with his family. For that time, maybe a minute, maybe a bit longer, I just stood there, processing. Eventually Haruto broke me out of it.

    ¡°Are you alright, Daichi?¡±

    ¡°No, sensei. No, I''m not. I''m sad, and angry. I want to know why this happened,¡± I said, closing my eyes for a moment, blinking back the tears. ¡°Can you look into reports of attacks by missing-nin, especially from Mist, over the last six months? Also how many ships or patrol groups have gone missing?¡±

    I was still in shock; my mind was working, but the emotional parts of it were almost totally shut down. Honestly, at the time I don''t think I was even really aware that I was speaking; I had been blind-drunk once as a university student, and this felt very similar.

    ¡°Sure, Daichi. I can do that. What do you want to do now?¡± he said softly in his deep tone. His voice was calming and familiar, his hand comforting and reassuring; the combination helped break me out of my state a bit more.

    ¡°We need to go home. I need to tell Kaa-san.¡± It was going to be rough. Kiyoshi was in between my parents age and my own. He had a sort of younger-brother relationship with Kaa-san, and an older-brother / cool young uncle relationship with me.

    ¡°You know we don''t need to go immediately. We could get some food, or go destroy a training ground,¡± he offered.

    I shook my head. As much of a relief as that would be, it wasn¡¯t the right thing to do. ¡°No, Haruto-sensei. If Kiyoshi could die to protect us, it''s the least we owe him to tell Kaa-san myself.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Daichi. But you do know this isn''t your fault, right?¡± he asked.

    I did, but it still hurt. ¡°Of course not. This is a matter of duty, not guilt.¡±

    And so we left for my home, walking this time as I needed the time to come to grips with this and had no desire for the motion and discombobulation of shunshin at that moment. About a quarter hour later, we were home, and I went into Kaa-san''s sealing study.

    ¡°Kaa-san,¡± I started, but suddenly my mouth was dry, my throat shut.

    ¡°What is it Daichi?¡± she turned around, and saw me, and knew (as would any good mother) that something was deeply wrong. ¡°What''s wrong Daichi, what happened?¡±

    ¡°It''s Kiyoshi. He, *sigh* he didn''t make it.¡±

    ¡°Oh no.¡± And, as I started to cry, she swept over, kneeling, and pulled me into a tight hug. ¡°Oh Daichi, it will be all right. Shh, shh.¡± And then and there, in my Kaa-san''s arms, crying about my dead cousin, I decided I''d do whatever it took to ensure war never came to Uzushio''s shores. If only out of a selfish desire to minimize this feeling in the future.

    Kirigakure, the aggressive, Bloody Mist, was the only power willing or capable of challenging Uzushio at sea.

    Kirigakure was already a dead village. They just didn''t know it yet.

    I just had to figure out how.

    =================================================

    My training continued over the days, then weeks, then months following Kiyoshi''s death. I came up with so many plans, discarding most of them.

    First, I thought about guns; I''d thought of them before, but decided not to because it would hurt Uzushio in the end. Then I found out that they weren¡¯t even possible.

    The Elemental Countries were actually in some sort of post-apocalyptic world. I didn''t know (and never found out) if it was high-energy reality warping physics, or some early jutsu, or alien-space bats, or an alien-space bat jutsu, or a seal, or divine intervention or the vagaries of Chaos and the Warp that caused it. But as a side effect of whatever had destroyed civilization, gunpowder didn''t work how it did on Earth.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    In fact, chemical explosions in general did''t, even purely chemical flames weren''t as effective as I remembered them being. I hadn''t been able to get conclusive proof on the mechanism, but it seemed that if something with low chakra potential was burning, it had to create fire-natured chakra too.

    This conceptual bond between physics and metaphysics was extremely interesting, especially because it meant that any gun equivalent needed to run on seals or chakra mechanisms. Chakra conductive materials, especially neutrally-conductive metal, were ruinously expensive; only the very elite could be armed with any weapon system that required it. So, seals were the way to go for a gun-system. And Uzushio had an effective monopoly on deploying tactical seals beyond a few basic explosives or lower-rank dimensional sealing scrolls.

    The design concept I eventually came up with was something inspired by the space-marine storm bolter. It was a seal on the arm that could launch projectiles or laser bursts or jutsu like plasma bolts. Of those, I actually preferred the laser bursts; there was no reason for it to be visible, and jonin with speed specialties were sometimes able to dodge or block the bullets.

    Plus, lasers didn''t make noise that gives away location. Lasers weren''t actually that difficult to make using seals either, were relatively low energy cost for their effect, and were more restricted by peoples'' lack of scientific knowledge than anything else. Secondary firing modes could easily blind or signal. The seal on the arm linked to a HUD seal that projected onto the eye; it relayed where the user was aiming, how much energy was being put into each shot, firing mode, and remaining energy reserves.

    Overall, this was a design I could accomplish by the time I''d achieved level 4 intuition, which I estimated was likely to be achieved sometime close to my fifth birthday. The design was somewhat complicated, but relatively simple compared to most body-seals, to the point that sealing adepts could install them with a medic available in case of any emergency (most Uzumaki Combat Body-Seals, especially those that link into the chakra network, need a sealing expert or even master, as well as a full doctor to be done safely).

    I estimated that with the expected complexity, enough could be produced for all chunin equivalents and above, and with a serious push, enough could be made for the genin as well. With this seal, genin should have a decent chance against chunin, and chunin should be relatively sure of killing other chunin. Jonin would still be a major threat since they tended to have a lot of tricks, stealth and adaptability. Still, survivability of Uzushio forces would substantially increase, especially in the first days of war before enemy countermeasures and intelligence caught up with the threat. But while an excellent seal, and one that I fully planned on developing, it wasn¡¯t enough to make Uzushio impossible to invade.

    Second, I thought about air-support, partially inspired by looking at Kazuo-sama''s gift of a pair of flying Osprey while lying in bed. Air-support excelled at recon, strategic strikes and tactical support as well as communications and transportation. It was totally different from what the Elemental Countries expected too; after the fall of the Sky village close to the founding of the Five Great Villages decades ago there had been no significant aerial assets. Even better, seals allowed for super-efficient aircraft, since fuel and payload took up no space or weight.

    I was planning a set of three general UAVs or drones, and two special purpose ones.

    The largest, which I was calling the Osprey after the premier summons of the village, was planned to be optimized for long deploy-times with station-keeping, a higher ceiling and longer range sensors and some powerful munitions. It would mostly be deployed over fixed installations or as a strategic asset by force-commanders. It would also be able to deploy a stealth-ed summoning circle to teleport in troops.

    The middle sized model, which I was calling the Sea-hawk after another, slightly less powerful summons, was planned to fill the tactical mission profile. It would have a decent range, strong mid-ranged sensors, and be designed mostly for anti-personnel combat with machine-gun, laser, and rocket equivalents, as well as optional seals for heavier anti-field-fortification munitions.

    The smallest, which I was calling the Peregrine, after another bird summons in the village, would be designed for more covert and close support missions. The least armed, I planed for the Peregrine to only have lasers and rockets, but upgraded with basic stealth and hover capacity, as well as the ability to fold the wings in and grip onto trees or other solid structures and act as a turret.

    The two special purpose drones would be for underground and underwater combat respectively. The Mole, designed for underground combat, would have a special transportation seal to temporarily seal dirt, then move forward, then unseal the dirt behind it. The mole would be designed to send out seismic shocks and interpret the readings, as well as look for enemy chakra, and release targeted burrower-missiles to detonate the enemy, or use a limited seismic jutsu recreated via seals to crush them.

    Similarly the Swordfish, designed for underwater combat, would similarly search for enemy ninja, though could also launch their seeker-torpedoes at ships. Unlike the fliers, the special purpose drones were designed to be somewhat permanent, though could be recalled to refill chakra reserves.

    Overall, these drones would massively improve Uzushio''s defensibility, assuming I could actually make them ¨C I hadn¡¯t quite figured out that part yet. Many of the functions I wanted required 5th level seals; some, especially the communications net that I wanted and some of the sensors, required 6th level seals. Further, each drone would be far more complicated than the hand-laser and HUD seals.

    If I wanted to achieve this, I''d likely have to settle for just the Sea-Hawk to start, and still enlist the aid of Hikaru jii-san and some of the other masters. That said, it was a cool project and they''d likely be interested; everyone loves toys that fly, after all.

    Creating enough drones to be widely deployed, and keeping them safe from being stolen or copied, was something of a challenge. Assuming I got higher level sealer support, an automated seal-creator and significant security upgrades were not unreasonable expectations though. With sufficient drones deployed throughout the force, Whirlpool and Uzushio would effectively be impossible to invade or destroy in a conventional fashion; I fully planned on completing at least the Sea-Hawk if I had the time to do so.

    The problem was that I had thought of the laser and the drones before Kiyoshi''s death. While excellent in defense, it would still be far too costly to use these to destroy Kirigakure, not to mention that I wanted to do so without anyone else knowing; Uzushio hardly needed the kind of heat that that would bring.

    And I was adamant on the necessity of Kirigakure''s destruction; Haruto''s investigation had shown a sharp uptick of Mist ¡°missing-nin¡± attacks, though reports from other friendly Daimyos did not report heightened levels of Mist missing-nin activity along their coastline or otherwise. Clearly it was a black-flag operation, and the Mist would keep looking for ways to destroy us until one or the other were destroyed.

    No, I decided, regular weapons were not the way to go. I had been thinking too small; instead of a weapon, I need a Weapon of Mass Destruction. And so, a week after Kiyoshi''s ship returned without him, I began to come up with possibilities.

    The first idea that I had was a seal-driven nuclear bomb. It was something I was familiar with, and as seals allow conversion of lots of different types of energy, I thought it might be achievable. It turned out, seals made nuclear explosions absolutely impossible. The problem was that a seal converts things through chakra, and it was unfortunately the case that through chakra, while matter still has a lot of energy, it wasn¡¯t enough to be making a WMD out of.

    The Creation of All and I guess the reverse, the Destruction of All, were possibilities allowed by upper level seals, but were also too expensive in chakra to make any kind of chain reaction. And there was no way I could manage to duplicate an entire nuclear program on my own, even with seals to help with containment and such. I simply didn¡¯t have the time, or even the theoretical background.

    The second possibility that I thought of was massively scaled-up conventional chakra bombs, maybe ones similar to my Spider''s Seal. It turns out that that would basically require heavy carpet-bombing. It would definitely be traced back, and at a guess likely cause no more than forty percent casualties, primarily in the weaker ranks and civilians.

    I immediately discarded the third and fourth possibilities: chemical or biological warfare. Chemical weapons were less effective as they weren''t infused with the chemical''s natural chakra; that was an extremely chakra-intensive concept. Further, I really didn''t want to introduce chemical warfare to the Elemental Nations, and had no easy way of getting the chemicals I''d need in the proper scale. Biological WMDs are always, always, always a horrible idea. They would inevitably backfire, either when new bioweapons are used in a retaliation, or as the disease infected everyone, mutating and spreading beyond control. So, just, no.

    The fifth idea I had, based on the chemical weapon idea, was a poor-man''s Alchemical Bomb. I''d either concentrate oxygen by creating a partial gas boundary, or concentrate nitrogen. In the first case, I''d immolate the village; in the second, I''d wait for them to suffocate. While I marked this down as a possibility, the odds that someone would notice made me wary; even a Kirigakure sealer can break something with sufficient power, or evacuate the village. The odds were far too low that it would work.

    It was while I was wishing that I could make a Bond-villain super-laser work as easily as villains seemed to in the movies when I thought of my sixth idea: Rods from God, or God''s Hammer as I''d seen it referred to in a fiction whose title I''d long since forgotten. More technically, Orbital Kinetic Energy Weapons, or Kinetic Orbital Strikes.

    Basically, large rods, preferably made of Tungsten, though seal-enhanced iron and stone would do at a pinch, launched from orbit. If I remembered right from when I read about this sort of thing way back when, I''d manage to get a speed in excess of Mach ten, and a blast damage equivalent to somewhere between ten and a hundred tons of TNT. That could be fatal to even stronger ninja out at five hundred feet, and destroy even reinforced buildings at one hundred feet distance.

    A look at a map of Kirigakure, much of it blank due to being in a security restricted area, and I calculated that a spread of twenty five rods would be sufficient to get, at a guess, eighty percent destruction given the generally wooden construction in the ninja-populated region of their village. Another five rods for their Kage''s seat of government, one for their central records facility, one each for a trio of barracks, one for the academy and a pair for the docks and shipyards and Kirigakure would be completely unable to wage war.

    I had a winner.

    As far as seals-based WMDs went, KOS (Kinetic Orbital Strike) was almost embarrassingly easy. If I were being particularly cunning and kludge-y, I could have probably done it with level three seals. Less kludge-y, level four. To penetrate the village anti-kinetic shields (which every village had, probably for things like this), and do so with a bit of elegance and real time visual feeds, I would need level five seals, and about four months of my total chakra output. Call it a year of my spare output.

    That was it. Level five seals and a year''s chakra to obliterate one of the great villages.

    I had my goal, I had my method. All that was left was the execution.

 Chapter 10: Gods Hammer

    Chapter 10: God''s Hammer

    The next year passed in a blur of training as I pushed myself to become stronger and learn seals at a greater and greater rate. Soon, I had surpassed the limits of my Kaa-san''s teaching and entered Hikaru jii-san''s tutelage.

    Hikaru jii-san was pretty amazing; he was a full sealing master who focused on manipulating natural forces and properties like gravity, pure kinetic energy, mass and heat. Apparently while a younger man, and studying to become a master, he had invented the cooling seals that we use even to this day in food-stores and wealthier homes. That''s right, another reason to love Uzushio ¨C we had air conditioning. And that was yet another way that I knew Kiri was evil; no one else would try and rob the world of civilization air-conditioning, the hallmark of civilization.

    Hikaru jii-san was also an accomplished combat-sealer. A fairly old man now of over a century''s age, when he was about 60 and still in his prime (Uzumaki, remember), around the time that the Villages were starting to really form, he had been part of a four-man trade mission to Konoha (sealing scrolls meant that nothing else was needed for transport).

    A whole clan that was against the idea of forming ninja villages attacked the mission. Under Hikaru''s order, the Uzushio forces retreated until they came to a fairly empty field, where they seemingly decided to each make a break for it in the hope of escaping the hundred or so pursuers, leaving Hikaru behind to slow pursuit.

    Suffice to say, Hikaru''s guard had split up to plant territory-defining seals, not to flee.

    The enemy ninja decided to go after Hikaru jii-san first, and charged across the field only for the entire surface of the field to suddenly become hot enough to ignite clothing. Hikaru jii-san had used a heat-concentration seal that moved heat from the ground to the air up to a height of 10 feet, and roasted all the enemy ninja.

    So, yeah, gramps was kind of a badass.

    I had completed the basics of my mental reinforcement, though I was always refining those basic techniques with practice. Under his eye, and making full use of these techniques, I quickly worked my through the third and fourth levels of sealing, earning complete intuition with each. Soon I was focused on the intuition for fifth level seals, particularly those needed for the God''s Hammer project, as well as some sixth level seals that he had given me access to.

    In my spare time, I had already completed my basic laser/ directed energy weapon that I called the DEWS-1 (Daichi-Energy-Weapon-Seal-1). It had proved a bit more complicated than I expected, as I experienced issues with thermal bloom and efficiency that necessitated a high-intensity pulse at a frequency which would interact with human liquids and fats but not be absorbed overmuch by air or common solids. It was still most effective at damaging softer and unarmored targets.

    I also had a few bits and pieces of what would become the Sea-Hawk, but had not completed it, or even enough of a proof of concept to bring to Hikaru jii-san.

    Tou-san had continued my instruction in Whirling-Fist, and I had completed both the Intermediate and Advanced Instructor''s tests. My speed could match the minimum standard for jonin, and if fully enhanced, I was capable of matching most of the younger chunin in strength despite my lack of size. My swordsmanship was also developing; I had passed the Basic Instructor''s test, and Tou-san had said that I was good enough to qualify for the clan-guard on the basis of my swordsmanship alone, which was fairly high praise.

    My combat skills with the Adamantine Chains was becoming very advanced. Haruto-sensei, though now a father himself, and thus with less time to train me, had nonetheless gotten me past the manipulation and manifestation and even elemental channeling lessons. I still needed to continue to train and improve here, but was at the point that it was practice and the occasional hint once I hit a plateau; I had the basics and the training methods I needed. He had further started me in on mechanical manipulation techniques, things like how to use the chains as a drill, or saw, rather than as a piercing whip or flail, as well as the more advanced Seal-channeling techniques needed for the Adamantine Chains to become the full Adamantine Sealing Chains.

    My elemental chakra training had perhaps seen the furthest growth. I was practicing the Water and Wind master level manipulation exercises, and could achieve results similar to B-level jutsu with a bit of focus and pure elemental manipulation. I had practiced the Water-Dragon, Water-Prison, Crushing Wave and Raging Waters techniques to a high degree for my water techniques, and similarly focused on Vacuum Bullets, Slicing Storm (a large scale slicing attack with medium damage), Razor Gust (smaller scale but more damage), Tornado and Hurricane (effective against large numbers, disrupted ranged jutsu) wind-based techniques.

    I hadn''t been overly impressed with the shields from either wind or water, and had worked on some layered, collaborative Wind/Water techniques that were more useful. My Pressurized Bubbles Shield, for example, functioned a bit like reactive armor and could be used offensively in close range as the explosive concussion would deal a fair bit of damage.

    I also had a fairly long range and relatively low cost Water-Jet-Cutter techniques which I had invented; based on water-jet cutters back on Earth, it used Wind to accelerate Water with bits of the ground in it to ridiculous speeds (easily above Mach one, but more than that was hard to estimate). The technique was capable of cutting through a half inch of steel in a moment. Even worse for its victims, the Water-Jet-Cutter would leave behind all the solid particles which would cripple or kill those for whom the technique was not instantly lethal.

    I wanted to start learning more advanced general chakra control, as well as genjutsu (illusions) and medical ninjutsu but unfortunately didn''t have the training time to do more than read the occasional theoretical text.

    Overall, I was almost six years old, and I was a monster capable of at least facing Elite Jonin (oh, they¡¯d kill me, but if it were one of our elites versus an enemy I might be enough to turn the tides). But what would really make me a monster wasn''t the fact that I was so much stronger than someone my age should be, but the project I had just finished: God''s Hammer, the set of seals that would achieve a Kinetic Orbital Strike on Kirigakure. And that weekend, I was finally ready for the first trial.

    The idea was a pretty simple one. The issue with getting things into orbit wasn''t that it took so much energy to lift the payload; it was that the energy itself needed to be raised too, so you weren¡¯t just lifting the potential satellite which might only be a few tens of pounds, but all the fuel too which would weigh hundreds of tons.

    With seals, that wasn''t an issue; I actually used a gravity-effecting seal to lift the payload seal into orbit. Once in orbit, the payload seal would deploy the Kinetic Weapons, a series of thirty-seven eight-foot long, foot wide, seal-reinforced cylinders of metal that I had gathered from some hills rich in metals using resource-collection and refinement seals.

    The plan was for the payload seal to reach orbit, then deploy the weapons. The weapons were heavily sealed themselves, primarily with a station-keeping seal to keep them at the right orientation and spacing, as well as gravity-acceleration seals and very precise location and guidance seals to move them at the right target.

    Actually, the most difficult part of all of this was the targeting system. Not only did the guidance and movement system need to be incredibly precise and finely gradated, but I needed a very precise location reading of where Kirigakure was in 3-dimensional space. In fact, to avoid relativity issues (something all GPS calculations back on Earth need to manage), the calculations for which I had forgotten, I needed a no-lag communication between the beacon and the guidance system.

    This communication was one of the major focuses of my research with Hikaru jii-san, and was also the first step for my creating a Hiraishin knock-off. I also had a visual-transmission communication seal, and backup maneuvering seals to do manual targeting if necessary.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    As the weapons approached atmospheric re-entry, they would activate a dimensional-contraction technique. I''d totally cribbed the seal from one Hikaru jii-san had demonstrated at my request, as he hadn¡¯t realized the extent of my memory when I desired. The dimensional-contraction technique was a rare conceptual seal, and actually stored the space in a special temporal seal. Then, at a very low altitude, the stored space would be expended to make the cylinders much wider for all but the weapons aimed at the Kage''s fort.

    This would improve the damage, at a cost of reduced penetration through bunkers, as well as increasing the velocity (and thus kinetic energy) of the weapons by reducing drag while falling, and so further increasing damage. Also at that moment of impact, another seal would activate a ¡°dense air shield¡± above them, reducing the amount of explosive pressure and damage lost to the air and hopefully reflecting the shock-wave back at the village to maximize damage.

    To reach Kirigakure in the first place, each weapon had a Shield Breaking seal designed to penetrate the bombardment defenses. Finally, there were storage seals that would release fire chakra when the weapons impacted; this would melt whatever remnants of the cylinders existed, and hopefully spread secondary fires and destruction.

    I had had to do a lot of work on not just the seals, but on how to create the seals. I tested them in vacuum, and in low temperatures, and both at once. In an early test, I sent a probe into low orbit with a chakra-sensing device; it turned out that space, being empty of chakra, actually drained chakra at a very high rate, and so I had to develop a chakra retention shield seal, and apply it to all of the objects.

    I had similarly tested the deployment of the payload, and discovered that retrieving an object from a storage seal gets harder the greater the difference in potential energy between entering and leaving the seal. I actually had to develop a new, stacked, super-high efficiency chakra storage system based on fractal capacitance just to retrieve the weapons; the seals on that needed to be so finely etched to be small enough that it took a week just to get the technique right. Hikaru jii-san and the other sealers were quite impressed by the new chakra batteries, and adopted my designs for small but energy intensive applications which meant a nice residual income from my invention.

    Worried that the weapons might hit an object in orbit, and that if that caused a failure I''d never know why, I developed a special chakra sensing pulse seal that only worked out of atmosphere without any distracting chakra signals; it was basically a space-radar with a thousand kilometer range that recorded back to a signal storage seal I had, making a status update every micro-second.

    Then, with all the planning and testing done, I actually had to charge all of these; I had been storing a full quarter of my prodigious full reserves every night for eight months for this purpose.

    When I had finally finished, and was ready to test the weapons, I didn''t know what to think about them.

    On the one hand, I was ecstatic. Here I was, a genius, granted. A reincarnation, granted. And effectively a magician, granted. But here I was, a kid, in a society stuck in the Middle Ages. And I had managed to make something that was Science Fiction during the beginning of the 21st century.

    On the other hand, I was at least somewhat somber. Here was the protection of Uzushiogakure, the destruction of the enemy Kirigakure that would ensure our survival for a century. But, also, I think I understood Oppenheimer in that moment. I had truly become Death, the destroyer of worlds.

    And I did so under no recognizance but my own. I was prepared to destroy a village, kill potentially hundreds of thousands of people. And this terrified me. I wanted to ask Haruto jii-san''s opinion, talk to Tou-san and Kaa-san, even ask Kazuo-sama.

    I wanted absolution from the responsibility of deploying this monstrosity of a weapon. But I knew I couldn''t get it. This was my decision, my responsibility.

    And so, on that Sunday morning, I deployed the weapon.

    Everything was going well. The payload-scroll had reached orbit, and reported successful deployment of all weapons. Weapons had locked onto Kirigakure, and were gaining velocity on their approach vectors. Velocity had hit a bit over what I estimated to be Mach three. And then, one by one, I lost contact with the weapons.

    What the FUCK just happened? How the fuck? I can''t have just¡­ My mind was a mess. I didn''t know what to think, what might happen. Hell, the weapons might still hit, but I wouldn''t know where. If that was the case, and they were off target enough to damage but not destroy Kirigakure, we might want to evacuate the village to reduce the target we presented. My shield breaker''s were standard, known designs, but were fairly recently published, only available to other Uzumaki sealers, and I''d overpowered them with a ton of chakra.

    I started pouring over the feedback data from all the sensors to see if I could figure out what happened.

    The first five weapons didn''t have any anomalies. Just, there one moment, gone the next. I started looking at the chakra space radar readings, and saw that each one seemed to have been broken up into what looked like, if I was reading the results right, a cloud of gas or maybe plasma, as well as a few shards of the weapon.

    Looking at the heat readings, which were on a significantly slower response time, I did see that the weapons noticed a slight heat rise with each destruction, and that one of the weapons had noticed a sharp temperature spike, into the thousands of degrees C, just before failure. Another had caught what I was now thinking might have been part of a reflected laser beam, and experienced a few hundred degrees temperature rise, then later been destroyed.

    Someone, or something, was up there. And they had the capacity to track thirty seven small objects flying at Mach three, and hit them with what I was guessing was a laser strong enough to vaporize them despite the fact that they were enhanced to be able to survive re-entry.

    That, that was fucking terrifying. But for a moment, I couldn¡¯t worry about that.

    I packed up my things with shaking hands, walked back to my room, sat down, and cried.

    It had been a long fucking year. I had been pushing myself, especially the envelope of my mental reinforcement, really damned hard. I was wiped out, physically, emotionally, burning too hard and too fast. And that day had been when it was all meant to pay off; the pressure would be off of Uzushiogakure, and the pressure would be off of me. But then, then whatever had done that decided to fuck everything up, and so I cried.

    I was still a kid. Sue me.

    About a half hour later, I stopped crying and started thinking. I considered who or what might have stopped my plan. Gods and other such beings were immediately disregarded; there was no chakra presence at all, and my understanding of the local Laws of Reality made me think that divine intervention was unlikely.

    In fact, on further reflection, I didn''t think it was a ¡°someone¡±. Other humans or aliens might have made contact with the precocious fuck (me) who introduced Orbital Bombardment to a civilization who''s most advanced weapon was made of re-folded chakra conductive steel. Or they might have killed me. Or at least done something; it seemed unlikely they would just kill my weapons then ignore me.

    That left ¡°something¡±. I remembered that the world was, at one point at least, high technology, but had fallen; further, chakra seemed limited to the planet, and didn''t cross the void of space well. What if the chakra was what interfered with the regular operation of high level technology? Then, any orbital assets would have survived.

    I doubted that there was anyone living there; if they really wanted to, there were too many ways of getting into contact, ways that weren''t used, and if anyone was living there, then the weapons probably wouldn¡¯t have been totally automated. I doubted any residents of this hypothetical space station would still be keeping to battle-stations thousands of years after the planet dropped out of contact, and thus doubted that an occupied station would have so quickly managed to destroy my weapons. Plus, a hundred-percent efficient food recycling program seemed unlikely, and anything less would have resulted in starvation after so long.

    No, I suspected that there was either an AI or a complex computer controlling some Strategic Defense hunter-killer satellites. Maybe even orbital fortresses. Either way, it was likely set to destroy any ICBMs or similar weapons. But that was all I could hypothesize. Other things were, of course, possible. I just rated my conclusion as the likeliest possibility.

    The scenario that seemed likely was not favorable towards me. I had no idea how to get around the situation. There were, of course, things I could test, like whether it was the speed of the weapons that caused the attack, or the height, or some combination of the two. I could probably design a shield to redirect laser-fire around my weapons. But ultimately, I didn''t think it was a good idea to mess about with the unknown orbital power with super-lasers unless I wanted to risk retaliatory bombardment, especially since I didn''t know what kind of Orbit-to-Ground weapons it might have.

    A year''s work was down the drain, totally useless.

    Well, maybe not totally useless. And so I tried out a basic estimation: My kinetic weapons would still function as missiles; at a restriction of Mach two-point-five (a safe margin of error on velocity calculations), they would have less than a sixteenth the energy at impact compared to Mach 10, and only be effective at around two-fifth¡¯s the previous distance.

    That meant the new missiles could be killing ninja at two hundred feet and destroying buildings at forty feet. The problem with this was that I''d need something like six hundred of these weaker rods to achieve similar levels of destruction. I just didn''t have the time to gather that much metal.

    I had no idea what I was going to do. I could only train and practice and hope I came up with some other way forward. Well, that and continue to store my chakra in case I needed it.

    And maybe take a bit of a break before I burned out.

 Chapter 11: Stepping Back

    Chapter 11: Stepping Back.

    Following the intervention of the Orbital ex Machina into my plans for Kirigakure''s neutralization, I decided I needed to take a step back, and stop to enjoy life a bit more. I decided to focus on making sure Uzushiogakure survives, and took a rest on the whole destruction of Kiri until I came up with a better plan, one that didn''t possibly annoy the hypothetical Orbital Fortress with unknown threat-assessment algorithms.

    I had been uncomfortably close to burning out, closer than I had even realized. I asked Tou-san to teach me Shogi, learned Go from Hikaru jii-san, and asked Kaa-san for some recommendations on good books to read. Every day, I made sure to take at least two hours for personal relaxation, and one whole day off every week. Evenings would typically find me playing a game with family, or reading a book while sipping green tea.

    And god was it necessary. I found that my food intake, previously near five thousand calories a day, dropped down to three thousand (I lived an active lifestyle with high chakra expenditure; that was pretty normal). I felt well in ways I had forgotten, like a weight and itch had been removed from me. My body filled out some, and I looked visibly healthier. All in all, I think that I had been pushing so hard that my healing factor, high even among other Uzumakis, was being slowly ground away by my previous habits.

    As I turned six, and over the following half-year or so, I made a point of sampling the culture. I ate out at restaurants for lunch. I visited the theater, once, and decided never again. It wasn¡¯t that I dislike the theatre.  I liked some modern plays, back on Earth, adored Gilbert and Sullivan, and had a great time watching Greek and Roman plays, reading some in the original. The performances available in Uzushiogakure, however, varied between incomprehensible formalized Japanese-esque forms, and absolutely puerile slapstick without much in between.

    And the music¡­ just urgh.  The music sounded like strangled cats to me.

    Some of the art, however, was quite nice. The most interesting thing I saw was a head-to-head art competition where each round, the artist had only one hour to make their piece of art given a prompt. They used jutsu and seals of all varieties. The judges would then go around, taking into account the cheering of the crowd, and make a cut.

    Eventually, it came down to two. One, a fairly young Earth-user favoring sculpture, who was the clear crowd favorite (though part of that was certainly his good looks, and part his supporting cheering-squad of the rest of his patrol group). The other, a fairly old looking non-Uzumaki seals user favoring abstract and subtle elements that still somehow conveyed his message, oftentimes incorporated into the seals themselves.

    I favored the sealer, and cheered loudly for him, though in the end the sculptor won. Afterward, I walked up and congratulated the sealer on the speed and elegance of his seals, as well as the subtle artistry, and mentioned that it was a shame that these subtleties were so difficult for those who don''t study seals to recognize. He was fairly shocked at my youth and knowledge, but still showed off how he was able to get some of the effects, and I left beaming.

    The architecture too I found very interesting. I had always been a fan of Medieval European architecture as a child, especially castles and other fortified structures, but had never had a chance to see Eastern ones. The Uzushio fortifications were an interesting mix of styles. They definitely had an Eastern look to them, especially in how the wall''s slope changed a bit gently between the base and the main section of the wall. But, overall, the fortifications were more similar to those of an Industrial-age Europe than anything else, likely because of the need to resist jutsu impact.

    The influence of seals could also be seen, as there were some structures that were otherwise impractical or unnecessary. I didn''t get to see the restricted areas, but did get to see the general ones thanks to a note from Jii-san to one of the officers.  My guide, a relatively fresh corporal in the Patrol, didn''t quite seem to know what to think of me and my questions.

    I frequently put on laser shows and fireworks shows for fun on Sundays. Eventually it became something of a neighborhood thing; Kushina would come over, of course, and Haruto-sensei would bring his wife and sometimes his kid too. There would be barbeque, often (and unfortunately) live music, and whatever sealers were there would put on a bit of a show. It was a pretty idyllic time.

    Of course, I kept up with my training too. My skills continued to improve, my body continued to grow, and my chakra continued to develop. I mostly focused on my sealing, especially as I started many collaborative projects with Hikaru jii-san. First, I showed him my body-mounted DEWS-1, which he found highly interesting. We adapted it to have several more firing modes, and Hikaru passed the design over to the Infantry Weapons, Defense Emplacements and Naval Weapons research groups.

    I read a fair number of other Uzumaki researcher''s journals; the historical ones were particularly interesting to me, and I always found it useful to learn from the ways that they thought. A lot of the time, progress is cyclical in the kinds of thinking that it needs; by looking at how scientists thought in the past, you can make interesting observations in the present and future. This idea also worked with seals.

    In fact, one section, an account of another experimenter''s research, gave me a solution to high-velocity small to medium caliber weapons. The account spoke of a ¡°device like a sling made of an iron disk which throws metal pellets at great velocity¡±; after a moment to puzzle it out, I thought about a centrifuge gun.

    Basically, the design that I came up with used a centrifuge to accelerate the payload. In this case, 12.7mm or 40mm rounds. The 12.7 would be only stamped with a no-air-resistance seal and potentially an elemental chakra charge; the 40 would have the no-air-resistance, but also a seal for either elementally-charged High Explosive or Canister. The rounds were loaded into a centrifuge. A seal near the center of the centrifuge could give it very high tangential velocity compared to the surroundings; this meant that at the edge of the centrifuge, it will be traveling much faster.

    For example, if the centrifuge was traveling at a tangential velocity of 150 m/s (fairly efficient to do with a seal) at a distance of 1¡± from the center, then at 6¡± it would be traveling 6x150= 900 m/s.

    The centrifuge then released the rounds into a pulse-dimensional seal, which could activate, seal whatever is fired into it (so long as it hits within the sealing array) and when released, fire it back out at the same velocity. Before entering the pulse-dimensional seal, the rounds passed through a straightening array that made sure the orientation of the holding-seal and the firing path was precise. The weapon was effective in direct-fire up to two kilometers, and with an absolute maximum range of just over eighty kilometers, so long as the air-resistance seal stayed active. The holding, or ¡°magazine¡± seal fired past a set of seals that straighten the path, so that it was effectively in a fairly perfect barrel which allowed improved accuracy for long distance artillery applications.

    At first I thought that my (re-) invention would be perfect for defensive emplacements. Grids of these could provide some fairly serious direct and indirect fire support all around the island, after we worked out the communications network to control it. Instead though, the Naval Weapons group basically took over.  They wanted to arm our ships with the weapons.  They worked with the Surveyor''s Research Group a fair bit on extending the capacity to target objects at larger distances, especially after I showed them a version of the Orbital Weapon that was more a ¡°slow, guided shell with spotting capabilities¡±.

    The Surveyor''s liked my semi-disposable spotter-missile, and loaded it up with a bunch of mapping seals I''d never seen before, tying the feeds in to the targeting seals. Hikaru jii-san was in charge of the mechanisms to steady and control the total system, so that the rocking of the ship wouldn''t affect it too much. The Weapons Group adapted the long-range ballista targeting mechanisms, and tied the whole system together before passing it off to the Industrial Quantities specialist on the team who figured out how to make the seals that automatically churn these systems out.

    I barely had to lift a finger. Seriously, I got to peek over basically everybody''s shoulder as ¡°Hikaru''s sweet genius grandson/apprentice, who came up with the concept,¡± and had my name listed as the first inventor for the system when we filed the design (in the ¡°classified seals¡± seal, so no official credit, unfortunately), but I didn''t have to come up with any of the work beyond the basic concept. I learned a ton too; it was so awesome not to be working on a secret project in my spare time.

    I even got the Surveyor''s group and the Weapons Group master who specialized in communications seals to add the functionality to my HUD-projector seal so that authorized users could link-in to the surveillance feeds and direct the fire remotely. Unfortunately, the security seals they added to the whole thing were level seven seals, so I couldn''t modify anything myself until I learned those. In fact, I wasn''t even allowed to watch them put them on at the time, having to wear a blindfold when my own HUD seal was re-applied.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Even still, that was definitely the way to invent. Having a horde of even-more competent individuals to take my ideas and turn them into reality was far better than working myself to death on secret projects.

    It turned out that for Uzushiogakure, naval combat seals were really the most important combat multiplier. Uzushiogakure itself is a fairly small island, and only accessible to Uzushio ships and citizens. There was this whole process to immigrating, even from the rest of Whirlpool, I guess to keep out the ninja riffraff. The closest neighbor with a navy that wasn''t a joke was the Land of Fire, but their navy was mostly run by the Daimyo rather than by Konohagakure which was fairly land-locked, both by location and by inclination. Whirlpool had excellent relations with the Fire Daimyo. In fact, Whirlpool''s Daimyo (the village leader and clan-head acting as Head-of-State) maintained a permanent embassy at the Fire Daimyo''s court; this was the only embassy with an attached Expert Sealer, who acted as the court Seals-Master and was the probably the best sealer you''ll find outside of Uzushio other than maybe Mito-sama.

    The biggest threat to Uzushiogakure and Whirlpool, as I mentioned previously, was Kirigakure. Whirlpool, apart from its fair sized navy crewed by Uzushiogakure chakra users and equipped with the latest seal-devices, also had very difficult to traverse currents. The navigation markers, controlled by seals, meant that only authorized ships could find their way to Uzushiogakure, part of why the village was chosen to be a strong-point in the first place.

    Kirigakure was the only ninja Village with a sufficient number of skilled and powerful water-jutsu users and capable navigators and sailors to overcome those natural barriers; they also had a special underwater-operations group that could pose a threat to Uzushiogakure ships. But even Kirigakure''s ninja couldn''t swim the five hundred or so miles between Kirigakure and Uzushiogakure, so naval strength was a major indicator of Uzushio''s defense. Because of this anything that could extend the range and hitting power of the Uzushiogakure ships got a lot of attention from the Applied Seals Research groups, especially Naval Weapons.

    When I brought up the idea of Swordfish Underwater drones, and what functionality I thought they should have, Hikaru jii-san grinned.

    ¡°The existence of any such seal-devices would be a secret that you are not allowed to learn yet, Daichi-kun, but I would not spend overmuch time on such underwater autonomous attackers,¡± he said with a wink. I grinned back, and right away gave him my idea for flying drones.

    This too he found interesting and worth a joint project. A bit more complicated than the Cyclone Bullet Seal and the Cyclone Cannon Seal (the official designations of the machine-gun and automatic-grenade-launcher equivalents respectively), and something worth taking their time to get really efficient, the development on the Peregrine, Sea-Hawk and Osprey went slower than I might have liked. It turned out that again, the people with the research brawn to get sealers working on something and making progress was the Naval Weapons Group; they were more interested in patrol-craft acting as spotters than on the multi-role strike-craft capability of the Sea-hawks or the remote chakra transmission and heavier weapons of the Osprey.

    I had to do more work with the aerial drones, as I had a much better understanding of aerodynamics and functional avionic systems than the other Sealers, even though mine came more from logic, flight simulators, and a few half-remembered conversations with Aero/Astro majors back in my previous life. Because of this, while I had developed intuition of fifth level seals, I had made very little progress on sixth level intuition more than six months after.

    The drones themselves were wracked with issues. We tried a basic plane shape first, but the number and fiddly-ness of the seals to control everything, especially the flaps, became an issue. After a few months of failed designs, we eventually settled on something of a cross shape with acceleration seal ¡°thrusters¡± at the points of the cross. By firing the bottom thruster harder, the craft would point up. Similarly, by firing the top thruster harder, the craft would point down. Turning was similar.

    The first tests went well; the craft was relatively easy to control in good weather, though a bit slow to turn and totally incapable of the kinds of dare-devil maneuvers I wanted, especially in the lighter craft. Unfortunately, the damned thing didn''t really have any way of re-stabilizing itself after a serious upset like a gust of wind, after which the bottom thruster was often not actually positioned at the bottom anymore. Hikaru jii-san actually figured out the fix to that, using a highly efficient if somewhat conceptually strange set of gravity-effecting seals to re-orient the craft when triggered.

    The end result was effective, if somewhat less than I had hoped. The maximum efficient speed was about 210 m/s, or about 470 mph. General cruise speed was about 170 m/s or 380 mph. The drone could hover, and was relatively small and light so the chakra requirements weren''t obscene. It had an effective loiter height of about 35,000 feet with a ceiling of just over 40,000 feet and a maximum range of about 1,500 miles.

    For weapons, the drone had a variable-angle laser weapon, paired forward firing Cyclone Bullet Seals (though without the additional long-range guidance system used on ships), a nose mounted Cyclone Cannon Seal, and a seal with several fire-and-forget secret underwater hunter drones that I was totally unaware of (in theory).

    The drone had a reverse summon seal on it so that it could be retrieved when near empty on chakra (a refinement I did not think of), and enough chakra to stay up in oversight for up to six hours in decent weather, three in unfavorable weather (bad weather drained the stabilization seals something fierce), and those times could be doubled with extended chakra batteries or clever usage of thermals.

    Apart from weapons, the Remote Surveillance Group put in some of their most advanced sensors. Some were normally kept off, because they drained chakra ridiculously quickly, but even the ¡°basic¡± sensors were advanced enough to provide good resolution from the ceiling height. The most advanced, which drained the chakra the fastest, had just been produced in time to be included in the design, and could only be triggered in a burst, could even detect most underwater enemies. Using advanced sensors pretty much required extended batteries or a very short flight time though.

    Overall, it was a system that was comparable to a WWII aircraft, if somewhat less maneuverable and with better sensor capabilities. Most favorably, the range was sufficient to reach Kirigakure''s harbor and loiter long enough and high enough for effective surveillance.

    I decided that the Peregrine would have to be faster and more maneuverable than this though, and so we named the first drone the Pelican Weapon System.

    There were about six months of ¡°tests¡± that followed before the Pelican was completed, and the automatic-manufacturing seals started on. These ¡°tests¡± were more ¡°everyone on the weapons group discovering the joys of flight simulators¡± using test munitions. We started off with basic flight (aka how not to crash), and after some failures added a load more instrumentation to report flight conditions back to the user. We then moved onto spotting, and what objects look like from the sky, aka, flying over Uzushiogakure. Then we finally moved onto simulated attack runs (fireworks for adults at work).

    In a very sneaky move I convinced people that dog-fighting might be fun; as a result, I found out that the maneuverability and speed kits for the Peregrine and Sea-hawk went up about six months on the priority list. They still weren''t an immediate project, but I did notice that certain Seal-masters who had claimed their own ¡°birds¡± had begun to make modifications to the standard sealing arrays that were not on the list of improvements in a bid to one-up each other. Personally, I was working on a fire-and-forget missile system with Hikaru jii-san that would lock onto a designated chakra-signal, in this case the active seals, and launch a homing, high velocity shell with a powerful explosive payload; apparently one of other budding Aces was a somewhat rival of his, and we ¡°absolutely had to win the first Pelican Combat Tournament for the family''s honor¡±.

    Eventually though all good things came to an end, and we couldn''t justify playing with them anymore.

    The project-completion party was pretty awesome; I ended up getting taken aside by this Weapons Group weapon-designer who had had more than few shots of sake.

    ¡°When you are older, and your Grandfather is not keeping you to himself, you must come work with us,¡± he said. ¡°We will make a beautiful fire.¡± Then the pyromaniac pressed a shot of what I thought was sake into my hands and had me drink. It turned out much stronger, and I ended up coughing a fair bit, much to his amusement. Hell, I don''t even know what that drink was; I suspected it may have been enhanced with chakra, since the basic campfire jutsu burned less.

    I lucked out somewhat though. As one of the seal-system creators, who had been with the project literally from the beginning, and not being too busy with other projects (and really as a seventh birthday gift to me from Hikaru jii-san), I ended up assigned to the Pelican Application Team with one of the other seal-inventors. The Application Team was basically a group of officers, about half of them experienced with or currently in Naval patrol, as well as some general strategists, regular Patrol, a couple high ranked Retinue guard and even a senior combat-sealer. All of them were thinking of how the Pelican should be used, and how that use should be taught in the Academies and Training Courses. For me, it meant another four months playing with prototype remote-control weapons, and kicking the asses of many fairly elite and senior officers using them. It was awesome.

    One of the things I pushed for, and got, was that there would be optional Pelican classes in the Academies for the pre-genin-equivalent students as Pelicans became available. Unlike many other villages, Uzushiogakure believed in additional training classes even after graduating as a basic recruit into the Clan or Village guard, or into a Retinue unit, including obligatory classes when becoming an officer or reaching higher command rank. Part of this was the nature of Uzushio''s missions, many of which required a fair competency in Naval affairs, and thus more education than the normal ninja who might learn on the job.

    There would be special Aerial Systems Training for selected service-members first, so that the Pelicans could get deployed as soon as possible, but eventually I wanted an aerial device with semi-customizable weapons selection to be available to anyone with the security clearance (not actually that high, since the things were remote-detonate-able and security sealed to hell) who was willing to fill enough chakra batteries for the manufacturing seals to produce one (and the ammunition). That way, Uzushio would be able to field hundreds of flying devices similar in potential damage output to a fairly fresh Jonin, but with more range, all commanded by people who would otherwise be kunai-fodder.

    The first Pelican pilots were just out of training in time for their early surveillance flights to locate a (presumed Kirigakure) infiltration team. This would prove to have been a major blessing. A guards reaction team was sent to apprehend them, and succeeded. This would prove to have been a major mistake.

 Chapter 12: Epidemic pt. 1

    Chapter 12: Epidemic pt. 1

    I wish to God that they had killed the infiltrators on the spot, burned the remains, and banished what was left to Void. But the patrol, following standard procedure, engaged and when possible captured. I wasn''t there, but was involved in the rather lengthy aftermath; rather than lay things out in the confused manner in which I learned them, I will relate my notes on the situation. This is what occurred.

    Day Zero: A cell of four infiltrators were detected barely one week after the Pelican program went active. According to the report, the Ready-Team, a fast reaction group, had a pair of Pelican''s on regional surveillance. The active chakra sensor detected a failure in one of the nodes of the Uzushio coastal waters sensor net. A full four action teams, 16 village guards in total, went to investigate and found the infiltrators. The infiltrators fought, wounding two of the guards, but were fairly easily overwhelmed.

    Although they at first appeared resigned, when the guards came to apply chakra-sealing seals, the intruders activated a suicide jutsu. Three of the guards who were attempting to apply the seals were covered in blood and viscera.

    Day One: I was congratulated by Hikaru jii-san; the use of the Pelicans was decided to be instrumental in preventing the intrusion. He remarked that I was likely to receive a reward from Kazuo-sama, likely a ceremonial weapon as a sign of honor, when all was said and done. First, though, the three guards, including the Group-Leader, would have to leave hospital. I asked jii-san to inquire as to what was wrong with them, and relay my wishes for a speedy recovery and congratulations on their success.

    Day Two: Hikaru jii-san told me that the guards seemed to have contracted some sort of illness; all three, including the leader whose Uzumaki bloodline would normally prevent it, were running high fevers. Healing jutsu were less effective than expected, and poison was suspected.

    I still remember that moment. A moment of thought, and I realized what had happened; the infiltrators had not failed their mission, or at least not completely.

    Back on Earth, one of the biggest fears within the intelligence and military circles had been the idea of bio-warfare suicide-bombers. Basically, instead of walking up with a bomb on them, these people would walk up as incubators of engineered plagues; get on an airplane, and watch the pandemic spread. The carriers may die, but the disease would spread everywhere. An even greater fear was the idea that travelers could be mugged and injected, becoming a stealth-carrier.

    This, I suspected, was a similar scenario. The operatives had likely wanted to spread this without dying, but, in failure, had used the suicide option. I even vaguely remembered that Kirigakure had done something similar to their bloodline users; I wasn''t sure if that was canon, or fanon, or would have happened in our world regardless. I still had to tell Hikaru jii-san, especially if the illness was strong enough to overcome a Jonin-level Uzumaki with a full healing factor.

    Hikaru thought it unlikely, but sufficiently possible that he demanded an immediate meeting with the head of the Medical Department and Kazuo-sama. Apparently, one of the clans that eventually formed Kirigakure was known for using targeted illnesses as poisons rather than more conventional concoctions; they had been rumored to be the founders of a Black Ops unit, referred to as the ¡°Plaguebearers¡± by Konoha''s intelligence briefings.

    Quarantine was declared for both patients and any who had treated them. Bubble technique or seals which created a space of clean air were ordered for any coming into contact with them. Full measures were being taken, and preparations made for a full village-wide quarantine if needed.

    Day Four: Several doctors and nurses, including those who had been taking full precautions, were sick. A few cases were seen in other citizens. The village went into full quarantine. Troops were sent into defensive positions; those that passed quarantine and were not needed within the village would deploy on ships to maintain health. Other cleared troops would deliver food and water rations in seals for all citizens, who were ordered to remain in their houses otherwise. The disease became the primary research focus for the village, and certain prisoners were authorized as test subjects.

    All non-essential communication was ordered to occur through video-seals. A call was put out to Konoha to summon aid as per treaty, specifically the assistance of Tsunade who was already renowned as a medic-nin. She would arrive, at the soonest, a week later.

    The panic was awful. The disease was capable of effecting Uzumakis, who were typically resistant if not immune to illness. Many had never been ill in their lives; whether because of this, or because of some trait of the disease, those with the strongest healing factors were impacted the worst. I was wracking my mind for more clues, but couldn''t remember anything.

    Day Five: Hikaru jii-san and I were assigned to a team focusing on decontamination measures. By the end of the day, we had a set of seals that use UV, soap, water, and even a light acid wash for decontamination. The seals were approved and produced. We were re-assigned to a long-range surveillance group responsible for watching Kirigakure for any signs of a possible invasion.

    Day Seven: Containment measures, even those using decontamination washes, continued to fail. Medical stasis seals were being produced in record quantities, and dozens of victims were already sealed within. Some of the seals, particularly those containing the sickest, were draining faster than expected. Two and a half months was given as the amount of time that the patients could be safely sealed; they were expected to die within a week of being unsealed.

    The full progress of the disease had been documented and disseminated. First, came an incubation phase lasting about a day, then a phase similar to a bad flu. The fever would continue to get worse, and the subject more ill, as their chakra drained. If the fever didn''t kill the patient (which happened fifteen to twenty percent of the time), then there was a forty to sixty percent chance of the patient dying when their chakra reached a nadir. Those that recovered were expected to be basically useless for at least a month, and appeared to have some sort of chakra damage.

    Based on the description of the disease, I had a theory that it was more chakra based and possibly somewhat metaphysical or spiritual in nature, with a focus on consuming chakra. With Hikaru jii-san''s help we got a temporary leave, and with a few of the Spacial Sealing Group we modified some seals, including my vacuum-protection seal. We then launched a probe into space which would be in Geo-synchronous orbit. The probe contained a seal that opened a semi-stable gate at a remote distance, in this case to the outside of the probe¡¯s void-shielding. The other side of the gate would be used to create a vacuum-shield to hopefully protect the medics, since the vacuum should be impenetrable to any chakra-based mechanism.

    While the new containment system proved effective, it was bloody expensive in terms of chakra and effort. Each shield consumed the equivalent of 12 Chunin-equivalent chakra-sources, and required some fairly fiddly seals hand-written by at least a sealing expert.  It did at least provide the necessary protection for medics to experiment or treat victims.

    Day Nine: With the disease contained, and the clock ticking down for those already infected, stock was taken and a Council meeting called. Hikaru, as one of half-dozen High Masters of the Sealing Department, and the theoretical lead on the current containment system, was going. He brought me along as his aide and attendant.

    As we are now approaching discussing the political sphere, I think it worth a brief diversion into the basics of Uzushio politics, at least so far as I am familiar with them.

    First off, there were the village politics as a whole. There were two main ¡°parties¡± or philosophies that tended to crop up. The first were the ¡°Progressives¡±. The Progressives believed in ¡°progress for Uzushio¡± which typically meant developing more seals and a more isolationist foreign policy. They were ascendant at the time of the epidemic.

    The second party were the ¡°Interventionists¡±. The Interventionists believed in bringing Uzushio enlightenment to the poor barbarians of the rest of the world. Honestly, both parties were somewhat patronizing and superior, at least in how they looked at outsiders (though, to be fair, Uzushio was decades more advanced than other nations, none of whom could produce things like air-conditioning). The approach was the main difference. At the time, the Interventionists were definitely in the minority. A large part of that was historical.

    About forty years previous, in other words well within a standard Uzumaki lifetime, there had been a bit of an odd situation. See, the Naruto-verse was mostly feudal, and any student of feudal history knows what kind of a mess that can result in, particularly with regards to feudal inheritance and obligations after sufficient intermarriage. What happened for the Uzumaki, Uzushio and Whirlpool was an excellent example.

    The problem was that different branches owed each other fealty in a circular fashion. A noble but fairly minor clan that owed fealty to the Uzumaki had, a couple generations previous, married into the Whirlpool Daimyo''s family. His niece, to be precise, who was never expected to succeed. One illness and a boating accident later, and suddenly this minor clan contained the Daimyo. But, they owed the Uzumaki fealty, and the Uzumaki had military dominance.

    The situation could have gotten a bit bloody, but the relations were previously cordial, and the leaders at the time astoundingly rational. There was already a marriage in place with the heirs, and an Uzumaki would be the eventual Daimyo. The problem is, it would be a fairly distant (and unimpressive) branch Uzumaki with no political or marital aspirations. The bigger problem, this Uzumaki''s sister (who thus might end up inheriting) was Mito Uzumaki.

    Mito Uzumaki, who would become Mito Senju-sama, was extremely politically divisive. She was a staunch member of the Interventionist party, and a fairly accomplished if not particularly gifted sealer, which was actually the biggest issue.

    Within the Uzumaki clan, the clan head candidates were chosen from a dozen potential families by voting from qualified Uzumaki. It wasn''t a ¡°one-person, one-vote¡± system either. Votes were partially based on accomplishments, and sealing weighted heavily.

    After the candidates (never fewer than three or more than five) were presented, the entire village, including the Uzumaki, would have a similar vote. The sealers were influential enough in the initial process that every time bar one, the candidates were at least level four sealers. That one time, the candidate was a young, but extremely accomplished for his age, and had achieved a level three sealing intuition. He lost that election, but survived long enough to be the next village leader.

    So, the sealers had a lot of influence. And that brings us to factions within the Sealing Department. There were three main factions, mostly to do with beliefs towards higher-level seals dealing with Celestials, Demons, Gods, Powers and Concepts.

    The first faction, which I belonged to, was the ¡°Isolationists¡±, called the ¡°Ostriches¡± by our opponents (because we didn''t want to see things that scared us). We believed that the world should be as isolated as possible from these beings, and that anything that weakened the walls of reality, or summoned them (which was pretty much synonymous), was a horrible fucking idea. I would eventually learn things in the future, as I gained rank as a sealer and got access to more secret information, that would support these conclusions.

    The second faction were the ¡°Contractors¡±, or as we called them, the Demonologists. I think you may be able to guess what they believed in; they were a bunch of power-hungry fools who thought they could interfere with things we were not meant to without consequence. There were a number of hideously ugly actions that they took, often for ¡°the sake of knowledge¡± or ¡°the greater good¡±, or some other sop to their power-seeking morality. I''m talking about human sacrifice, black-sabbath type shit.

    And that was before demonic corruption set in and started further warping their minds. Things could go very, very wrong. But, on the other hand, the power was a lure, and every now and then the philosophy would rise up in the Department. To give them their due, there were accounts of some High Masters and one Grandmaster who had in extremis and temporarily, successfully bound greater powers. But the aforementioned masters had level seven intuition (level eight in the case of the grandmaster), and significantly more knowledge than the Experts who were the typical demonologist dabblers.

    The third faction were actually the Clerics. They ware a cult (by which I mean small order of religious adherents) of mostly Uzumaki sealing priests. They agreed with the Isolationists, for the most part, and pretty much quietly did their own thing.

    So, want to guess which group Mito belonged to, considering she went on to seal the 9 Biju?

    That''s right, she was a Demonologist. In fact, she was the last of the high-ranking Demonologists, following an accident. She had been part of a failed summoning and binding; the Master of the group, and three other experts, ended up buying her just enough time (as their minds likely melted) to escape from the higher-seal testing room and hit the emergency vent seal. The room, and whatever was trying to come through, ended up in the Void, and Uzushio escaped a major incursion by the skin of its teeth.

    Mito survived censure, barely, but was discredited and put under watch, supposedly for possible demonic taint, but more to make sure she didn''t do anything else that was that fucking stupid. Interviews with her afterward showed that she had, apparently, learned absolutely nothing as to how bad such experiments were.  Honestly, she was lucky not to be killed or sealed herself.  After all, the fucking room that they did the summoning in was still sealed and forbidden territory decades later.

    The village was thus, those 40 years ago, in an extremely tight spot. The possible successor to the Daimyo''s seat was Mito, who''s appointment would literally cause civil war. She couldn''t be set aside completely though, at least against her will, since it would give other nations a causus belli to support her position and install her as a puppet; the dumb bitch was already being courted by several of our larger neighbors, and open to their proposals. So, Mito ended up married off to the Senju in a formal ceremony that cut the ties to her original family; while she could claim to be their child, she was out of the line of inheritance. Her brother happily joined a monastery, as he had wanted to do for years. And Kazuo-sama, the next in line as a cousin, inherited first the Clan-leadership, then the Daimyo''s seat when the previous holder stepped down. Kazuo permanently linked the Daimyo''s seat to the position of Uzumaki''s clan leader, and left the clan-leadership as an internal matter.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    In all this political maneuvering, Mito and some of the more radical Interventionist supporters managed to start the whole ¡°Great Villages¡± experiment. At first somewhat promising, their faction was doing fairly well. Then, of course, Mito went and bound the Biju, pissing off the sealers. The other Villages formed, and it was shown that no-one was actually moving towards peace, as had been hoped. Hashirama died in the fighting around then, and Mito, now thoroughly persona non grata, was quietly asked by other Interventionists to stay in Konohagakure lest she distract the situation at home with talk of Demonology.

    Then, the First Shinobi World War broke out, and showed that all these ¡°Great Villages¡± had done was cause escalation. The Interventionists were massively discredited, and under the Progressives'' influence, relations with Konoha cooled. There was still an alliance, but it had not been activated in decades, and Uzushio mostly used Konohagakure as a slightly discounted ninja force. No one was exactly sure of what influence Mito would have on how Konoha thought of Uzushio, but Konoha had been warned more than once that she had no influence back in Uzushio.

    Moving into this important meeting about the Epidemic of Uzushio, bear this in mind. Most of the characters involved favored isolationist policies, though there were still a few that are pro-Intervention, and pro-Konohagakure.

    Day Nine: We had the meeting that would determine our village¡¯s future, and my own.

    We filed into the room, taking up positions according to some set of rules I was unaware of. My position was standing about four-feet behind Hikaru jii-san. There were maybe two dozen people in the room all told. Kazuo-sama started it off in his role as Village-head.

    ¡°Well, I''m glad to see you all, you all look healthy, which is good,¡± he said plainly. There were some nervous chuckles. ¡°No, really, this is good. The quick actions of Village Security and the Medical Department have made this disaster far less damaging than it could have been. I congratulate you.¡±

    At this he bowed, fairly deep no matter what position he was operating under. Had I been back on Earth, living in the West, I wouldn''t have been as cognizant of how much of an honor this was. Honestly, it was actually a bit much, making people embarrassed at the surfeit of praise.

    ¡°Ah, we don''t deserve all the praise,¡± the active Chief-of-Medicine replied.  His boss was currently in one of the stasis seals.  ¡°Hikaru-sensei, after all, gave warning that these actions may be necessary, and developed the seal that currently protects us.¡±

    That''s right, praise Jii-san! I thought. As a note, Hikaru was being called ¡°sensei¡± because of his position as a seals-master.

    Hikaru jii-san smiled. ¡°You should praise Daichi, actually, I merely relayed his concerns, and the idea for the shield was his as well.¡± There were a number of glances and head-bows to me at this, and I blushed and shuffled under the attention while ducking my head in a return bow. Honestly, the whole thing was very Uzushio, this sharing of praise and honor, but without anything other than verbal acknowledgement.

    Kazuo-sama laughed. ¡°I knew I would be watching your progress with interest, Daichi-kun. But, to business. What are the numbers?¡±

    ¡°They''re bad, but better than they might have been,¡± the Chief-of-Medicine replied. ¡°We''ve got a hundred and forty six down with the illness so far. Of those, eight are doctors including the Chief-of-Medicine, and fourteen are nurses. There are eighty four Guardsmen down with the illness, of whom sixteen are genin equivalent and ten are jonin equivalent; the fifty eight others are chunin. Two sealers are ill. The other thirty eight patients are villagers, though some are retired veterans. All are currently in Stasis seals, and have an expected to last two and a half months from the date of their sealing. There have only been a pair of newly discovered cases since two days ago.  Both were fairly advanced progressions from individuals in quarantine; they were discovered after they didn''t pick up their rations. There have been two casualties, one a villager, the other the Patrol Lieutenant who first made contact with the enemy.¡±

    ¡°His family will want for nothing, and the villager''s will receive standard compensation,¡± Kazuo-sama pronounced. ¡°See to it.¡± One of his aides nodded, making a note, and Kazuo-sama continued. ¡°And what progress towards a cure?¡±

    The Chief-of-Medicine grimaced. ¡°Slow. We''ve identified the disease vector; it''s a chakra active illness, but it''s extremely exotic, and doesn''t act like anything we''ve seen before. We''re having no luck in figuring out how to clean it from someone''s blood, and it hasn''t responded to any of our common treatments. Chakra exhaustion close to death appears to be a possible solution, using chakra-free life support and first aid, but even with full facilities we''ll lose at least 5% of the patients to death, and another 10% will have permanent issues with their chakra system. We''ve requested Tsunade Senju come and provide assistance.¡±

    Kazuo-sama rubbed his jaw, thinking about the implications. ¡°That''s understandable, if not what I was wanting to hear. I want all spare sealers to be working on possible solutions. When will the Senju arrive?¡±

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs leaned forward to address the question. ¡°Our messenger has arrived at Konoha, but the negotiations are complicated. Mito-sama seems to be looking for a successor to carry the Kyubi. Konoha has recalled Tsunade as a gesture of good faith, but is pushing for a potential host to be given in trade.¡±

    There were grimaces and grumblings at this, and the sealing detachment looked positively murderous.

    ¡°Let''s revisit that at the end of the meeting,¡± Kazuo-sama said, refocusing the conversation. ¡°What''s the military situation?¡±

    I saw a man in the uniform of a high-officer shift forward; I vaguely recognized him as the Minister of the Military from the Pelican''s launch party. ¡°Nothing to report. We''ve had constant Pelican patrols in local waters, and over Kirigakure. No anomalous movement. We are now tracking sixty five percent of the Kirigakure fleet, and show no gatherings or unexpected behavior.¡±

    Kazuo-sama nodded.  ¡°The investigation?¡± he asked.

    The Military Minister motioned at the Commander of Village Security, one of the subordinates of the Commander of the Village Guard.

    ¡°Not much to report,¡± the commander replied. ¡°The remains of the infiltrators were disposed of, save for samples, when they were found to be infected. The previous analysis didn''t show any signs of where they were from. The gear was in the Kirigakure style, but the method used to get past the sensor-net is much more sophisticated than I would expect from them. The leading theory is that they used a dissolving seal to temporarily over-ride the sensor. There is no suspicion of any traitors at this time.¡±

    ¡°Did Intelligence turn anything up? Could Kirigakure have managed this?¡± Kazuo-sama questioned.

    ¡°Unlikely,¡± the Intelligence Commander answered. ¡°Is it possible? Anything''s possible. But Kirigakure is almost totally unfamiliar with Uzumaki sealing techniques. And there are no seal-users of sufficient skill outside of the village to teach that kind of talent, other than Mito-sama.¡±

    ¡°Sealing Department, do you agree?¡± Kazuo-sama requested verification. ¡°And what''s being done to prevent this from happening in the future?¡±

    ¡°We agree,¡± the Sealing Chief said, nodding. ¡°That sensor net is solid, Expert-level work. It''s unlikely that Kirigakure, who are among the least talented sealers, would have managed to get past it in such a subtle fashion. The network is being expanded with overlapping territories, and alarms and more aggressive fail-safes are being added. If a seal is deactivated in the future, we''ll know about it, and those doing it will suffer if they''re not very careful.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Kazuo-sama said with a sharp smile. ¡°So, what do we do? Who do we think did this, how do we prove it, and what can we do to them?¡±

    At this, the careful equilibrium shattered. People started talking, then arguing, then shouting at each other; I was not using my memory reinforcement techniques, and so do not remember it well enough to recount. It was, frankly, a bit embarrassing. To make that point clear, after Kazuo-sama released a burst of killing-intent that quietened the room, he turned to me.

    ¡°Daichi-kun. You''ve been surprisingly effective in this situation. What is your analysis.¡±

    I was totally taken aback. I was seven! I sure as hell shouldn''t be talking in this setting. I quickly realized why Kazuo-sama was doing this; it was a subtle remonstration and commentary on the behavior of his advisors. I cleared my throat, partially to give me a moment to organize my thoughts.

    ¡°Ah, Kazuo-sama,¡± I began. ¡°Well, it seems like there are three simple questions, with not so simple answers. First, who are the suspects. In other words, who had the motive, means and opportunity. Second, how do we prove this, or how sure are we? And third, what can we do, or rather what do we do in reply?¡±

    ¡°A good framing of the question, but I asked for you answer,¡± he chided me in a fairly gentle tone. I blushed hard.

    ¡°My apologies, Kazuo-sama. First, for the medical situation, we should be testing samples of blood for immunity. We should start with those with the strongest healing factors among the Uzumaki, and see if there is some kind of immunity we can duplicate.¡±

    ¡°A worthy idea, yes?¡± he interrupted while looking at the Chief-of-Medicine, who nodded. ¡°Continue.¡±

    I cleared my throat again. ¡°Well. I think it was Konohagakure, or elements within them.¡±

    The room burst into another uproar; even Kazuo-sama had risen an eyebrow. The Foreign Minister, who was apparently an Interventionist, looked positively murderous. Once again Kazuo-sama quietened them.

    ¡°An unexpected answer. Explain your reasoning. Without interruptions,¡± he said, giving a quick glare at the rest of the room.

    This whole thing was way too serious for me. I was comfortable working on seals; honestly, it reminded me of studying in university, and was always interesting. I enjoyed working out and sparring, and learning magic jutsu was freaking awesome. But standing in front of the leadership of my family, my country, and giving unpopular or shocking theories? Not so much.

    ¡°Well, first the suspects. Kirigakure is the most obvious. They resent our influence and wealth, and the fact that our ships both refuse to pay protection and are still safer is a serious threat to their economy. Further, their philosophy of the survival of the strongest and the shark-like nature of man are at odds with our own; so long as we exist, we represent an existential threat to their philosophy and encourage potential rebellion. This is the motive. As for means, it is well known, or at least well suspected, that they have that Black-Ops unit, the Plague-bearers. But opportunity is less well established; it seems unlikely they could have infiltrated in such a way. As for confirmation, they don''t seem to have realized that our situation even exists, and have certainly taken no action to indicate the invasion we would expect to come on the heels of this illness.

    ¡°Compare this to Konohagakure. For motive, they have the general fear of our sealers and might. Especially with Mito-sama as an example, who knows what they think about our sealing-arts? Further, they need a new host for their asinine attempt at causing peace through mutual fear of the Biju; without the Kyubi, they may even be attacked. If Mito already needs a new host to take over her demon, then the damage caused by the chakra must be far too damaging for any other than an Uzumaki. For means, Konohagakure is known to have one of the best intelligence networks, and fairly good researchers; they may have invented the disease themselves, or stolen it from Kirigakure. As to opportunity, they have the best sealing training outside of Uzushio and some select monasteries, and are the best suspects as to how the ninja got through the sensor net. Their motive is weaker than Kirigakure''s, but is it strong enough? I think yes.

    ¡°If I had to give odds, I''d say sixty percent Konohagakure, thirty percent Kirigakure, and ten percent someone we''re not even considering. Note that when I say Konohagakure, I doubt that the Hokage knows; it is likely some conspiracy involving a less principled and more warlike senior adviser with the influence and knowledge necessary to pull off this plot.

    ¡°As to how we could test this, things get harder since we have called for Tsunade. Had we not, we could have waited, especially if we came up with our own cure, and seen if Konohagakure made any moves. The same for Kirigakure. Their reactions may have provided us with clues.

    ¡°As it stands, I see no easy way to test who is responsible. We could make seals to disperse aerosol samples of the illness over both Konohagakure and Kirigakure and perform this mission around midnight using Pelicans. If Kirigakure has a cure, they are likely to have developed it. If Konoha does, then they are likely to have deployed it. Either way, we can be fairly sure that the guilty will suffer, though so will many innocents. It will, however, make it far less likely for biological warfare to be used in the future if the users fear the spread of the disease.¡±

    At my final recommendation of spreading the plague I caused another minor uproar. I could hear one of the military officers half-gasp and half-laugh something that sounded a lot like ¡°the balls on that kid¡±, as well as gasps of horror and shock from the more civilian-minded advisers. The Minister of Foreign Affairs even jumped in.

    ¡°Kami above child!¡± he shouted.  ¡°What are you saying? Spread the disease to anyone, let alone our ally?¡±

    This actually pissed me off a bit.

    ¡°Someone spread it to us, intending our destruction,¡± I retorted. ¡°If we don''t reply, we invite future attacks. It''s distasteful, but worth considering seriously.¡±

    Kazuo-sama, who had been watching things, re-took control before his minister could get in a shouting match with a seven year old.

    ¡°That is a disturbingly believable analysis as things concern Konohagakure,¡± he pronounced. ¡°We will not release this weapon on others. We will however keep samples in the highest security sealing vault, and make it clear that any future attacks will not meet with such restraint. Now the question is, do we deal with Konohagakure, and if so, what are we willing to trade?¡±

    The discussion continued, now much more strained than it had been before. It was no longer a question of who did this, and what we did to them, but the possibility that our strongest ninja allies may have factions seeking our destruction. As the discussion became somewhat circular as to whether to treat with Konoha or not, I payed less attention until something caught my notice, spoken by someone who I neither recognized, nor did I think they had been introduced.

    ¡°Who could we give them, if we had to?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°They would need the Adamantine chains, and be at least two years pre-puberty,¡± the Sealing-Chief replied. ¡°Mito''s seal cannot function without the chains; she was only an Expert Sealer when she left, and for something as strong as the Kyubi no-one below the 7th level could write an adequate seal. The youth is needed to acclimate to the youkai chakra, which would otherwise cause a very short life for the holder. In fact, without the Mokuton (wood-release) it may be too dangerous to seal into someone without some spare chakra flexibility.¡±

    ¡°What about simply sealing it ourselves into a subject of their choosing?¡± a second anonymous (at least to me) man asked.

    This was definitely the wrong thing to say to the sealers. Before they could jump him however, a legal expert, easily the oldest man in the room, spoke.

    ¡°That''s impossible,¡± he announced. ¡°It''s against clan, village and national law to give examples of such high-level seals to foreign nations in case they could reverse engineer it and continue to use it, and derivative seals, in the future. It would take too long to change this law, even if we wanted to.¡±

    The first man leaned forwards again. ¡°So, who would we give them, if we had? How many lives would it save.¡±

    ¡°We can''t be sure,¡± the Chief-of-Medicine answered. ¡°Possibly none, or possibly, preventing the death or permanent combat-ineffectiveness of about half the patients.¡±

    ¡°Seventy to eighty lives then, including half a dozen Jonin,¡± the other man summarized. ¡°We can''t not deal with them, then. Pretty much whoever we give would be worth it.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, it shows we can be pressured in this way, and weakens us to the future,¡± the Intelligence Commander interjected.

    ¡°But, as Kazuo-dono said, we will make it clear that any future attempts will result in serious reprisal,¡± that first man argued. The Intelligence Commander scoffed, but didn''t say anything. From this I at least knew that the man was a villager, and not an Uzumaki.

    ¡°So, we could seal it into who? Kushina-sama?¡± the second man asked.  The two seemed to be working together; I suspected they were upper level merchants or landowners, political types rather than administrative, combatant, or skilled experts.

    I saw Kazuo-sama wince at this. It was difficult to protect his niece without looking selfish, especially if eighty lives hung in the balance.

    But, I was hardly going to throw my sole childhood friend to the snake-pit of Konohagakure. She was just a kid, and family, and that went against pretty much everything I believed in. I, at least, might eventually escape; I was far less likely to fall into some Demonologist''s trap too. So, I spoke up.

    ¡°I am also capable of the chains, and am younger than Kushina-sama. Further, I am a more experienced sealer, and am somewhat more worldly and less likely to fall to Mito-sama''s demonology. I will be more suited to keeping Konoha in line as well.¡±

    I purposefully put as much sarcasm as possible into Mito''s title, and used the term demonology to refer to her. Keeping your daughter selfishly is one thing. Refusing to give her to a Demonologist is something else entirely, and the rank badge on my robes spoke to the fact that I was a senior enough Sealer to make such a judgment.

    I could tell from sensing his chakra that Kazuo-sama was grateful.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Kazuo-sama agreed solemnly. ¡°I have decided. If Tsunade arrives before we find a solution, then in return for their aid in curing the Chakra-Consumption Epidemic, we shall send whomever is most suited to hosting the Kyubi. So I decree.¡±

    At this, we all bowed. He stood and left the room. I had maybe three days for there to be a solution.  And I knew jack-shit about biology.

 Chapter 13: Epidemic, pt. 2

    Chapter 13: Epidemic, pt. 2

    After the meeting, life continued. The village was still on lock-down, though it had been slightly loosened for military activities, and all efforts were being made to find a cure.

    Day Ten: No progress. My blood was taken to be tested for immunity.

    Day Eleven: When Tsunade was reported to be boarding a patrol-craft, Kazuo-sama was contacted by seal-communicator. He summoned me. Hikaru jii-san would have come, but I asked him to stay and keep working on a potential solution. Jii-san nodded grimly at me, and gave me a hug.

    When I arrived at the fortress, I was immediately ushered into a private audience with Kazuo-sama. He motioned that I should sit, and served me some tea. We sipped in silence for a moment before he spoke.

    ¡°It was a brave thing that you did. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°No thanks are necessary, Kazuo-sama. It was my selfish wish not to allow Kushina to enter such a den of scum and villainy.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°You have always been surprisingly mature.¡±

    ¡°I must have an old soul,¡± I smiled.

    ¡°Yes, that must be it.¡±

    We sipped more tea.

    He sighed lightly. ¡°As for the matter at hand. Tsunade is hours away. Unless we find a last minute solution, it doesn''t look good.¡±

    ¡°What can one do?¡± I meant it as a semi-musing philosophical thought. Kazuo-kaka however grinned and answered.

    ¡°Well, as Daimyo of Whirlpool, I can refuse to let you leave my service. Konoha''s agreement is with Kazuo-dono; he overstepped himself. As an inactive Militia reservist, you are officially sworn to Whirlpool''s service, not Uzushio''s.¡±

    ¡°Kazuo-kaka, your agreement though? Would this be possible?¡±

    ¡°Possible, legally, yes. Not so in reality. Though I can at least force a compromise. You will not be leaving my service entirely. Instead, you will be given an official diplomatic position within Whirlpool''s government active immediately on the basis of your services and sealing achievements. When you go, you will be sent formally as a diplomatic emissary from Whirlpool''s Embassy to the Daimyo''s court, then appointed by the ambassador as a representative in Konohagakure.

    ¡°This is allowed as part of our treaty with the Fire Daimyo, and will give you diplomatic protection, both formally under Whirlpool''s aegis, as well as formally from the aegis of the Fire Daimyo''s court. If Konoha oversteps itself, it will face censure both from us and their own Daimyo; you may even end up coming home. They will doubtless be very careful.

    ¡°In your position as an Advanced Instructor of Whirlpool fist, and thus a recruit-sergeant of the Militia, you will be activated at the youngest possible age, 8 years old, and indefinitely seconded to Konohagakure''s military as part of a largely imaginary exchange program. Thus, you will serve within Konohagakure, and host Mito''s mistake, but will be as protected as I can make you. I apologize for not being able to do more.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    When he finished the explanation he bowed to me, and did not raise his head until I replied.

    ¡°Ah, Kazuo-sama, please, there is no reason to apologize, you have merely done your duty as clan-head, as village-chief, and as Lord of Whirlpool. You have done more than is necessary for this poor vassal.¡± I bowed as well. Let it never be said that my parents didn''t manage to teach me formal manners. Kazuo-sama laughed at this.

    ¡°Please, do not bow. Already you show your talent as a diplomat, eh Daichi-san?¡± I grinned, both at the comment, and at the address; by calling me Daichi-san he was effectively saying that my actions meant he respected me as an adult.

    ¡°Now, come.¡± he ordered. ¡°You''re position, second assistant to the Whirlpool Ambassador to the Fire Nation, Chief of the Permanent Konohagakure Mission, is Titled. There is formal clothing in the attached room, and your parents are waiting for the ceremony where I will grant you your sword.¡± I was shocked speechless. Kazuo-sama was seriously grateful that I had saved Kushina, clearly, and was honoring me with the lowest of noble positions. It would make me even more inviolate in Konohagakure, and was a huge honor.

    I thanked Kazuo-sama profusely, but he just motioned me towards the connecting room. There was an attendant to help me into the formal clothing, apply some face-paint, and explain the ceremony that I was about to participate in. Then, newly dressed in my diplomat''s regalia, I was ushered into another room where my parents, grandparents, a few other family members, Haruto-sensei and his wife, and Kushina were all waiting. Tou-san''s parents, part of the noble rather than sealing or ninja Uzumaki branches, were looking particularly pleased. Hikaru jii-san looked proud and amused; I knew he''d give me a bit of ribbing about being a doll later on, given my clothing and make up. I was a bit overcome by the situation, and went through the ceremony in a daze.

    When Kazuo-sama handed me my new swords, a pair of katana and wakizashi, I couldn''t contain my smile. It was either smile or cry, honestly; this honor was dearly purchased, and seeing all those whom I''d be missing while in Konoha really drove the point in.

    I was told that the swords were a pair that had been made as a collaboration between a sealing expert and a swordsmith from the Land of Iron about a century ago for an Uzumaki who had gained great renown at sea. They were called the Red Night''s Sky (the Katana) and Morning''s Storm (the Wakizashi). Apart from being chakra conductive, they had seals to enchance Wind-element and Water-element respectively, and other seals to bond with the owner until death or dismissal, and could be further bound as a summon to using body-seals. Apart from the honor, the swords were highly functional, and a beautiful work of art.

    After the ceremony was over, I received congratulations and hugs from my family. Kushina came up last, and looked at me for a moment before she burst into tears, saying it was all her fault, and then hugging me and crying into my chest. I hugged her back, told her that it wasn''t her fault but Konohagakure''s, and that it wasn''t like I was leaving right away, and we''d be able to keep in contact with video seals too. She sniffed, and pulled back, allowing me to see the water-stains on my new silk outfit. When she saw where I was looking, she blushed, apologized, and then huffed before declaring we''d be blaming the Leaf for that too. I just laughed at the little Tsundere.

    Some of those stains never actually came out, though the servant who had dressed me did manage to fix most of the damage. I decided to let it remind me of the conditions of my rise in station and upcoming voyage to Konohagakure.

    Some hours later, Tsunade arrived

    Day Twelve: A sample of blood immune to the disease was finally found. Furthermore, it proved capable of curing the disease when injected in relatively small quantities. It was quickly placed in one of the greatest sealing creations of the Sealing Department; a duplication array made by a Grandmaster, capable of taking a sample and then performing the Creation of All Things to make a perfect duplicate down to the chakra and metaphysical identity of the object being copied.

    Soon enough, enough blood was produced to heal all the diseased. Spare samples of the blood were stored against future need.

    Want to know what was really ironic? The blood was mine. And Tsunade, despite her presence, didn''t have time to lift a finger.

    I didn''t know whether to laugh or cry.

    But I knew I was going to Konohagakure in four months time either way.

 Chapter 14: Accouterments

    Chapter 14: Accouterments

    If I had thought I knew what ¡°busy¡± and ¡°hard-working¡± were before, I had been totally wrong. The four months leading to my departure were a whirlwind of activity.

    First off, two days after my investiture, or one day after the disease was cured (and Tsunade left in a bit of a snit due to our not sharing how exactly we did so ¨C suck it, Konoha), I was called into a meeting with my grandparents. And not Hikaru jii-san, but rather Tou-san''s parents Ojii-sama and Obaa-sama.

    As you may have guessed from their names, or rather the honorifics I had to call them by, they were pretty formal. They were part of the Noble Uzumakis, and were among the higher-titles that weren''t directly part of the village top leadership. Most of their income, like that of many of the other nobles, was from ships and docking or warehouse space on Wave.

    They pretty much lived in ¡°ye olde days¡± in their small compound, practicing a samurai lifestyle. They trained in the sword and archery, and had a number of servants and an even greater number of retainers (some of whom were from ninja families). Tou-san was the second youngest of six children, and something of a black sheep. He had made his parents rather happy by joining the guard, and performing well, but had scandalized them when he insisted on going through ninja-training.  That, after all, was the position for the help.

    Tou-san ended up married to Kaa-san, and since Kaa-san had higher rank within the village, his parents were fairly happy for him to marry into her family rather than vice versa as it fulfilled their social expectations. My being invested as a minor noble, and being appointed to an honorable position, especially at such a young age, had them totally tickled pink. I normally saw them on some ceremonial dates, where I would be one among many of their grandchildren. We¡¯d attend a banquet or ceremony, and I''d typically be located in a middling-honorable seating position due to my achievements as a sealer balanced against Tou-san''s actions and my own interest in the ninja arts. For them to summon me for ceremonial tea was¡­ unexpected. Well, not even something I''d considered, really, though in retrospect it made sense.

    So I prepared formally, in my new regalia and wearing my swords as was proper, and went to my grandparents for a ceremonial tea. I loved the tea in Uzushio. We had a lot of trade, and all the best tea in the Nations ended up coming through Whirlpool''s ports. I hated tea ceremonies though. The damned things could last literally hours. Oh, the tea was quite good, and the whole thing was typically in very nice settings. But even with chakra reinforcement, and flexible as I was, sitting in seiza for hours was a fucking misery. I would sit in misery for what felt like forever, then eventually, finally, be allowed to drink the damned tea which could have been made in a tenth the time, cursing the rules of etiquette in my mind all the while.

    We had the tea. I sat right, made the right motions, the right sounds, the right compliments. I was sure this formal tea was only meant to see if they can make me sweat while I waited until Ojii-sama revealed the purpose of my visit. Eventually proprieties had been served, and Ojii-sama said the first meaningful thing of the whole visit.

    ¡°Your father has raised an excellent son. You are truly a credit to your blood.¡± God, but I wanted to say something sarcastic. But I just nodded stoically. He seemed approving.

    ¡°You now need the proper accouterments that go with your station.¡± I was thinking that I might be getting a gift of money to help me uphold the expectations of my new station. That would be in keeping, at least, with our general history; I tended to get a carefully calculated gift of money on all the socially expected occasions, but little else. Maybe I''d get some property, I thought, or a stake in some ships to provide an income. If he was being overly samurai, possibly an armor. But what happened next broke every expectation I had, even the most ridiculous.

    ¡°Sachiko, come!¡± he commanded in a slightly raised voice. The screen door on the side of the room slid open, and a teenager in a functional but sharp looking uniform was revealed kneeling behind it.

    She was, at a guess, about 14 years old, with dark hair pulled into a ponytail behind her. She seemed fairly fit, with toned muscles and lithe movements that spoke to training rather than merely an active lifestyle. I surmised she was likely a combat-trained retainer.

    She bowed from her kneeling position to Ojii-sama, and then shuffled into the room, settling off to the side in a respectful seiza that managed to indicate a degree of submission. Her movements were smooth, showing her familiarity with this sort of formality, but didn''t have that ¡°stick in uncomfortable places¡± stiffness endemic to the samurai retainers, so I guessed she was likely a retainer from a ninja family.

    ¡°Sachiko, my grandson has recently been invested as a Junior Baron Courtier of the Fifth Rank and appointed Assistant to the Ambassador to the Fire Daimyo''s court.¡± That was actually pretty damned impressive. My title was new enough that even I didn''t know it, at least not without looking at the scroll that served as my Patent of Nobility, and here''s Ojii-sama rattling it off like nothing. This whole thing clearly meant more to him than I had realized.

    While Ojii-sama paused in his usual way after saying something for it to sink in, my mind was spinning into all sorts of strange directions. I was really worried for a moment that he was going to try and have me sleep with her or something crazy like that; the old man was about a hundred, and could easily have forgotten when kids went through puberty. I was mercifully spared the embarrassment of explaining, in this hyper-formal setting, that I wasn''t actually capable of sex yet, or deciding to disappear with her and have an awkward conversation until enough time had passed. Honestly, all that might have been easier.

    ¡°I wish for you to become my grandson''s first retainer, Sachiko.¡± Holy shit.

    No, seriously. This was super fucked up. Dear old gramps had just basically given me someone as a cross between my slave and my bodyguard and minion-in-chief (pro tempore). Of course, calling her a slave would be a massive insult, to the point she might kill herself, so I would never do that. But in effect, it''s what she was.

    She would have been raised literally from birth to serve; Danzo had nothing on a good traditional samurai conditioning regime. I could probably have her do just about anything; as a ninja retainer, she didn''t really have honor of her own beyond what I gave her. Basically, she could do anything ordered, no matter how dishonorable it might normally be, because her honor came not from her actions but by fulfilling my commands.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    If you want an example of how fucked up people could become under such a regime, well the White Fang, Hatake Kakashi''s father in the original canon, was probably once from a retainer family and held those morals, with the Third Hokage as his master. As a full grown man, with a kid, he finally managed to break programming to save people as close to him as younger brothers from certain death; the shame, the moral misery he experienced because of the failure to complete his orders from his surrogate lord, the Hokage, led to his suicide.

    This was probably my grandfather''s antiquated way of showing approval and apologizing for the distance between us; it was also likely, in retrospect, to be an outreach to Tou-san. By showing me such a conspicuous honor - and being given a retainer valuable enough to have sworn direct oaths of fealty at such a young age was a real honor ¨C it would also show honor to Tou-san. Basically, Ojii-sama was trying to repair the rifts that his honor originally demanded, and doing so in a way commensurate with his honor.

    If this had been happening to anyone other than me, I''d have loved it; this is what the damned theatre should have been about, if mocking such an ancient and revered tradition wasn''t likely to end in an honor-duel. On that level, this was really nice.

    On another level, it''s about a hundred times worse than giving a seven-almost-eight year old kid a puppy right before he leaves for summer camp, and expecting the kid to look after the puppy during summer camp.

    It was only shock and the combination of British (first life), and then (partially) Samurai upbringings that let me keep my shit and my straight face. And that was important; while I was biologically a kid, I had been appointed a title by the Daimyo, our Clan-leader, and would thus be dishonoring him, my grandfather, and myself if I behaved inappropriately.

    But I really felt for this girl. Here she was, just entering her teenage years. She had likely worked herself to the bone to gain scraps of attention and approval. And she had excelled. And then the reward for that excellence? Being given literally as an accoutrement, a trapping, an accessory to my station. Of course, this station would be in a foreign city about 400 miles away as the crow flies.  And her poor parents. Her very name, Sachiko, meant happiness (sachi) and child (ko). So I was taking their ¡°child of happiness¡±, possibly their first child, maybe after a trying time to give birth, and I was going to take her to the snake''s pit of Konohagakure. She might be their only child; their line might end because of this, Ojii-sama''s gift.

    I tried the gentle dance of refusal, but knew Ojii-sama would not do this without being sure. I had a greater chance of holding back the tide.

    ¡°I am greatly honored, Ojii-sama. But, I would not wish to deprive you of a retainer with such skills as Sachiko,¡± I tried as my opening gambit.

    ¡°I insist. I assure you our family has sufficient retainers that one can be spared to your service,¡± the old bastard replied with a faint hint of amusement in his eye. He already knew how this would end, but found my efforts at this dance amusing.

    ¡°I meant no insult, no such insinuation, Ojii-sama,¡± I returned quickly.

    ¡°Oh, then do you question Sachiko''s skills? If you prefer, you may give her a test yourself, or would you prefer another?¡± Sachiko managed to keep her cool appearance, but that was cruel.

    ¡°Not at all Ojii-sama. After all, any that has your personal recommendation must be very highly skilled.¡± I could sense Sachiko''s well controlled chakra lighten a bit at that.

    ¡°Good. Then it is settled.¡± And it was.

    With her previous oath released, and a new one sworn to me in blood, I had my first retainer, Hisakawa Sachiko. And these oaths aren''t like the western ones, promising loyalty for fealty, protection for service; no, not at all. She promised her obedience, her skills, her blood to me, taking no other honor but what I gave her. I was suitably somber; this was one of the most important moments of her life. After the ceremony of fealty, I turned to her.

    ¡°Sachiko-san.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Uzumaki-dono.¡±

    ¡°I would have you address me as Daichi-sama, Sachiko.¡± That was about as informal as I could try with her; baby steps, I thought, would be the way to go. She gave a brief bow of her understanding, and I decided to explain my reasoning. The sooner I could get her treating me as human rather than some sort of minor god, the better.

    ¡°After all, things will doubtless be confusing otherwise, and you are my first retainer and head of my Retinue Guard and household.¡± This was something of a sop to her; she may no longer be in direct service to my grandfather, a greater lord than I, but at least she was the head of the Retinue and household for a lord. A position as in my Retinue was actually a fairly high honor, even with a lord as young as I, mostly due to my prowess with seals. And there were some thousand or so Uzumaki on the island, all told, so calling me ¡°Uzumaki¡± anything would get old fast.

    ¡°But what I meant to say, Sachiko-san, is that we will be leaving in just over 4 months, after my eighth birthday, so I might take up my post in Konohagakure. Until then, I will be practicing every morning from dawn until three hours after with my father; I expect you to join me so we might become accustomed to fighting together.¡± Though I was facing Sachiko, I could tell that my grandfather, the old warrior, clearly approved of my preparations.

    ¡°Very good, Daichi-san. Your talent continues to impress me. Sachiko will, with your approval, have the rest of the day and night to herself, and move into your household tomorrow.¡± Shit. I''d have to warn my parents; Tou-san would definitely understand, but Kaa-san saw all this as antiquated (which it was). She''d totally make fun of me; I''d have to make sure she treated poor Sachiko well. Oh god. Kushina. I just knew she''d be a total brat about the whole thing. I''d just have to make sure Sachiko understood that as my retainer, all she had to care about was my approval. And I could start then.

    ¡°Thank you, Ojii-sama for your consideration for my retainer. I am deeply appreciative.¡± I bowed to my grandfather; he nodded back having clearly understood the subtext, and approved.

    Some more meaningless pleasantries and a small, partially eaten snack later, and I was on my way out of Ojii-sama''s home with Sachiko a step behind and to the left. She had certainly mastered silent movement; if I wasn''t able to sense chakra, I would never have known she was there, and even her chakra was reasonably well controlled and concealed.

    ¡°Sachiko-san,¡± I began, then gave a small pause to make emphasize what followed. ¡°Thank you for giving me your oath. Know that I will cherish it, and value you. From this day forward, disregard any displeasure but my own, and believe no censure that does not come directly from me in person. Hopefully, in time, you can find it in yourself to be my friend, as well as my vassal. Is this understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Daichi-sama.¡± And to this day, I am in awe of her; her composure in being given to a callow youth, and her ability to take the pompous pronouncements of a seven year old seriously. To my credit though, she was somewhat more relaxed.

    That night, when I explained the situation to my parents and asked their forbearance towards her, especially from Kaa-san, I got hugged tightly by a woman slightly teary at ¡°how quickly her little boy is becoming a man¡± while my Tou-san looked on approvingly. It was worth it though; Kaa-san promised to treat Sachiko with all due caution towards her feelings, and even offered to give her some sealing training when she was too exhausted from Tou-san''s training.

    And Tou-san was doubtless going to train her into the ground; as a heavy combat specialist with both Samurai and Ninja training, he was well suited and motivated to prepare Sachiko for a life of protecting his only son. That said, it was unlikely I''d remain his only son for long; apparently my parents were under pressure to have more children to see if any would be geniuses like me. Someone had even broached the topic of Tou-san taking concubines, though it was generally agreed that Kaa-san was responsible for my inclination to sealing.

    It was a bittersweet idea.  I was glad for my parents, and happy both that our family would grow and that I was being seen as such a valuable person.  But the idea of missing my to-be siblings¡¯ childhoods just made me more pissed off with Konohagakure.

 Chapter 15: Priests and Preparations

    Chapter 15: Priests and Preparations

    Sachiko was the first development in my last four months in Uzushiogakure. To aid in her development and training, I ensured she received the most recent version of the DEWS laser weapon seal, an enhanced HUD-projector around her eyes, and the best defensive body-sealing scheme I could cadge out of Hikaru jii-san as well as a built-in Cyclone-Cannon Seal and a full selection of Magazine seals. Unfortunately, she did not have time to learn how to use a Pelican as well as all of her other training; it was something I intended her to work on by remote-training using a Pelican stationed out of Uzushiogakure after our arrival in Konoha, though if possible I''d have her using a Sea-Hawk or even Peregrine depending on what designs were published.

    The second development was my social and diplomatic training. I was expected to have small classes, mostly as they fit into my schedule, from a special tutor assigned by Kazuo-sama to educate me on diplomatic conventions and polite behavior in every setting. I dined most days with either Kazuo-sama and his family, including Kushina, or with whatever guests he was entertaining on business. During that time, I became close with Kushina and learned more than I had every imagined knowing about the background of running a nation and the social niceties so important to avoid incidents in that semi-feudal world.

    The third development, and by far the most draining to my time and energy was my Advanced Seals training. I suffered with semi-constant headaches during those four months due to over-use of my mental reinforcement, all to push myself to the level that I needed to obtain before leaving.

    The group that took over my seals training was actually the Priest-faction. I was officially ordained as the lowest-possible rank, an apprentice exorcist to be exact, so that I might be inducted into some of their mysteries and prepared for my tasks.

    The high-ranks of the Sealing Department saw a unique opportunity in me. To understand this opportunity, you need to know something of the deep mysteries of chakra. Should you ever end up in the Elemental Nations, DO NOT MENTION THESE. They will get you killed or abducted, and draw the interest of the likes of Madara or Itachi.

    The deep secret that needs to be understood is the nature of ¡°demons,¡± in particular the Biju, and how they relate to chakra and the local fabric of reality. I will relate what was related to me.

    Before the first days of chakra, far before even the Sage of Six Paths, there was a great society with mighty powers. From what I personally understood, it was a modern, or post-modern but still recognizable civilization similar to those present on Earth.  Then, something happened, though what exactly I didn¡¯t know.  Possibilities included high energy physics experiment, superweapon, divine intervention, extra-dimensional interference, alien act, or just an (un)natural disaster.

    The result though was chakra.

    When chakra first came into the world, it was wild, uncontrolled. For while the Nations had adapted to chakra over time, chakra was not originally native to this world. Instead, it came from realms of greater chakra-density, and poured into our world. Unbound Chakra, lacking even the structure of standard, dangerous nature chakra as used by Sages, was power and change. New, unstable bloodlines would form in those completely unused to chakra.

    Imagine, a town''s marketplace, crowded, full of life. A man begins to bleed from his skin and claw and writhe. His bones begin to break through, and as the crowd flees, too slow, a forest of bones erupt around the man, killing him and any within a few hundred meters.

    For far too long, that was peoples¡¯ reality.  Humanity shrank, often surviving in small pockets where the local chakra was, for whatever reason, particularly weak or benign.  And chakra did not make it easy for even these little remnants of civilization to survive. Technology stopped working, and beasts empowered but also driven mad by raw chakra hunted mankind in the ruins.

    Some lucky human individuals survived their mutations too.  A rare few benefited, gaining new powers, and even fewer managed to establish bloodlines that bred semi-true.  By the time I was born, everyone had small bits and pieces of potential bloodlines in their systems, though far too few could activate them.

    Eventually, the pressure of chakra equalized. The fabric of reality, no longer strained by this bleed-over of chakra, eventually healed. Even the chakra, as it was filtered by the living, gradually became less dangerous.

    But chakra was not the only thing to have come over. Creatures of foreign realms came too, or, if they did not come, their attention was drawn. From this, we knew the existence of the many varieties of Spirits, Demons, the Celestials, the Gods and Powers and Concepts.

    Incredibly dangerous, the very presence of these beings was enough to raise the local chakra levels. Some, like the many varieties of Demons, were too foreign or hostile to safely treat with. Others, the Celestials, were powerful but benign. The Gods, mightier still, might be constant or capricious as their nature. Places of strong chakra could develop Spirits, genius loci, or perhaps these Spirits grew the chakra of their location. There existed beings of Power, absolute dominion over some aspect of reality, and Concepts like Death that embody that aspect of reality itself.

    These beings were both blessing and curse.  Without them, I found it entirely possible that the era of chaotic chakra would have lasted much longer, and many a human settlement would have failed without the intervention of a well-meaning kami.  It was entirely possible for all of mankind to become extinct, or so mutated as to no longer qualify as human.  But still, that left many of these beings, or their emissaries and servants, sharing our planet.

    The first sealers were exorcists, trying to protect what fragments of civilization remained, and priests who would doctor the soul, trying to remove the corruption of Unbound Chakra. One group, particularly skilled, was the origin of one of the many clans that would eventually be incorporated into the Uzumaki, and the source of our skills in sealing.

    There were deeper mysteries still, secrets of these beings greater and more terrible than humanity could ever be, but such were above my needs and capacity. The Biju, though, the Biju''s history was something I did learn.

    At the site of one of these holes in reality, some say at the site of the first such hole, came to be a tree. It is unknown whether this tree was there, and managed to survive the Unbound Chakra, growing in ways it needed, or perhaps a Spirit or minor God joined with this tree, or the tree was itself a migrating god. What is known is that a mighty tree grew there, and in it was stored the chakra of a wide region. This tree served as a filter, and was part how the world''s stability increased.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    At one point though there came a wandering tribe of people who claimed ¡°to have descended from the stars.¡± I suspected that they might have been the progeny of those once living in orbital habitats, descended to our planet, Chakyu.  It was possible that they were explorers, or left after key systems failed, or perhaps were exiled as a result of some power-play. Regardless, they arrived.

    Mistaken as Celestials due to their powers and wondrous items, they knew little of chakra, and settled at the roots of the Great Tree, which kept a wide area safe for human habitation. Not content with their lot and powers, they studied the tree, and sealing.

    One day, in either the greatest mistake or greatest success of their experiments, they found a way to drain the chakra of the Tree, and use it to empower humans. Most died, or were mutated with local creatures; of these are numbered the lesser summons clans native to the Nations (as opposed to those greater clans native to near-by realms). Others were transformed and driven mad; they joined the ranks of those considered demons and were killed or sealed.

    But of the experiments'' success was born the first and only recorded human ascended god, the goddess Kaguya.

    Kaguya would eventually give birth to twins, but she was not stable. Never meant to bear the power of a goddess, she gained a type of chakra illness associated with an overpowered chakra system. It drove her to desire greater and greater control of chakra. She began to think of all chakra as hers, and tried to take that of her children.

    When they refused, she sought more power from the Shinju Tree. This time however she fell prey to the Tree''s curse, and transformed. Far more mighty than any of those who had transformed before, her twisted form was likewise tyrannically strong.

    After she took the form of the Jubi, the Ten-Tailed Beast, her children fought her. Having studied with the clan that would become the Uzumaki, and gained great skill, her children succeeded in sealing her.  They split her chakra into nine beasts, the Biju.

    For a thousand years, the Biju roamed the Nations, mostly keeping to themselves, though occasionally causing a disaster. Then, Madara captured the Kyubi, and Mito began her ¡°great work of peace¡± by sealing the Beasts. In doing so, she reduced the levels of chakra in nature, and like a slowly breaking dam, the walls of reality were once more letting in more and more influence from Outside. There would be a balance, as was needed, but it could take a long time to arrive.

    In the meantime, greater amounts of foreign chakra, unbound chakra, and benign, malignant or unknown but always inhuman influences would act on the Nations.  Destabilization and conflict would result. This state of affairs was highly undesirable, and the priests intended to address the issue before it became a catastrophe.

    I suspected, though did not say, that my own presence there and then was partially a result of this weakening of the walls of reality.  I wasn¡¯t sure I liked that implication, and what it meant for any of my future reincarnations and what apocalypses I might be forced to endure or avert. Then again, even back on Earth there were constant wars and conflict throughout human history.

    The mission that the priests prepared me for was to conflict with the other Jinchuriki and Biju, and make it impossible for them to be sealed by anyone less than a true Sealing Master, or controlled by the accursed Sharingan, as well as how to help restore the balance.

    To this purpose, I had to master four extremely advanced seals. The first seal was a sealing-protection seal. It would make it very difficult to seal whatever the protection seal is applied to.  Functionally, it shorted out sealing attachments and twisted the chakra trying to attach to protection-sealed entity, similar to a white-noise generator drowning out lesser sounds. It was also sort of like computer password making a file read-only, in that if you knew how, you could still seal the protected being; the priests left that in so that the Biju couldn¡¯t attack Uzushio.

    The second seal was a Sharingan-proofing seal. It would, when fed chakra, disrupt genjutsu, and was optimized for Biju levels of chakra. It would also power a reflective coating around the eyes using naturally available chakra, and absorb the vast majority of chakra that shared the Sharingan''s unique hybrid human-demon signal.

    The third seal was a spirit-binding seal; it would seal the sealing-protection seal and the Sharingan-proofing seal to the Biju''s spirit so that they could not be damaged by physical force.  Functionally, it was the least impressive in effect.  But it was by far and away the most impressive in difficulty and construction.

    The fourth seal was a small but incredibly dense energy storage seal; I would feed it chakra from the Kyubi, then release it into the atmosphere. Since the Biju normally didn''t exert themselves to their maximum levels of chakra gathering from the local environment, I could actually match the average chakra output of half the Biju taken together using just the Kyubi. This would lessen the degradation of the barriers greatly, especially since Jinchuriki still leaked some of their imprisoned being¡¯s chakra.

    The seal to bind the Kyubi to me would be permanent, binding us at the level of our spirits, but could be released with an act of will at the moment of my death; the release was buried deep inside. We needed a proper seal, rather than whatever Mito came up with, but equally the Konoha sealers would know, and claim they were cheated, if the seal were ¡°temporary.¡± This seal, though, the Master of the Priestly faction would apply himself.

    None of these seals were easy. In fact, they were hideously difficult. I had previously achieved fifth level Intuition, and was working on my sixth. A sealer was typically capable of learning seals at most two levels above their Intuition without excessive levels of effort and specialized education; even then, it would be risky.

    Each seal I was meant to learn was based on level seven seals, with some elements from level eight seals. Each day I''d spend ten or more hours being tutored by the Master of the Priests'' faction. It was a great honor. It was a mental and, as my reinforcement began taking its toll, a physical torture.

    But I finally mastered the seals and their subtleties to the Masters'' standards, barely four days before I was meant to depart.  Our first stop was the Fire Daimyo''s court to be presented, then we would continue on our way to Konohagakure along with the party that contained the sealers responsible for my future bond with Kurama, the Kyubi. In the process of mastering the seals I achieved sixth level Intuition, and became the youngest recorded Master Sealer of the Uzumaki Clan. Officially, however, for my protection, I was ranked an Expert.

    I spent those last days with my family, other than some hurried gathering of my supplies and gifts. I had received a full set of sealed-armor from the Priests, whose Master was apparently something of a specialist in the art; the sealed-armor was a set of leather bands, blood-bound to me and summon-able, that was the closest I could come to full Body-Seals until I was at least fourteen years old. It would give a fair bit of passive protection from near-misses, and when active could tank even a regular Jonin for a hit or two; easily enough time to surprise them.

    Hikaru jii-san gave me several sets of prepared wards; they were enough to thoroughly guard my future home, as well as a smaller set for traveling. He also helped set up a secure linked communications network between me, him, my parents and the Sealing Department. The Naval Weapons Group gave me a two way inanimate-transportation seal to transfer designs and prototypes, as well as ammunition reloads for my Pelican to and from my location.

    Kaa-san gave me new clothes, and Tou-san two sets of kunai and shuriken with short-range recall seals, one being for Sachiko. Both gave me their advice and their love. Kushina gave me a picture of herself, and the order as ¡°the future first female Daimyo of Whirlpool¡± not to forget home, and to call often.

    Finally, laden down with knowledge and supplies and enough seals to fight a small war, carrying my swords and wearing my travel-garb, I was prepared. I made my goodbyes to my family and Kushina, and after some words from Kazuo-sama our forty-strong party left for the Fire Daimyo''s court.

    I''m not too proud to admit that as I stood on the deck of our ship at sunset, and looked back at Uzushiogakure in the distance, the image of my home was blurred by the tears in my eyes.

 Chapter 16: Interlude 1: The Retainer

    Chapter 16: Interlude 1: The Retainer.

    My name is Hisakawa Sachiko. I was born into a family of ninja, retainers to a mid-ranked Uzumaki noble. Mother grew pregnant when on a mission, and died in birth; she lived long enough to name me Sachiko or ¡°joyous child¡±, a name that would ensure I knew I was loved despite the outcome.

    And so I was raised by Auntie and Uncle so that I might serve as they did. I worked hard, and excelled from a young age, showing the grace and intelligence necessary to be trained not as a brute, but as a subtle blade. Whether a hidden protector or invisible assassin, I learned to walk the halls of power and be of use not only as a weapon to my master, but as an assistant too.

    My master used to be Master Uzumaki, the grandfather of my current master, Master Daichi. The first time I heard of Master Daichi, I must have been five years old, and Master Daichi had just been born. Master Uzumaki always appeared with the stoic visage he was so famous for; this visage, along with his martial skills and Noble Sea-Hawk summons (who selected only the most honorable of samurai, and had served as his eyes) had earned him the sobriquet of ¡°Whirlpool''s Sea-Hawk Samurai¡± when serving in the navy many, many years ago.

    But, in secret, he was a very caring man; I think he simply felt it unsightly to show this. He would have us, his ninja retainers, check up on his children, especially Kohaku sama, Master Daichi''s father, who was somewhat estranged. This duty fell to Uncle, a jovial and joking man with his family who was only too happy to report to us about the successful birth.

    And so, I grew up with reports of Master Daichi. I learned when I was six how he was already walking, and speaking. I learned when I was seven, and he two, that he was already actively practicing calligraphy to manage seals in the future. When I was eight, I formally became Uncle''s apprentice; I was in the room and saw Master Uzumaki''s hidden joy when Uncle reported that Master Daichi was progressing well, and likely to turn into a fine man and a credit to Uzushiogakure and the family.

    Uncle said that this was training; that even at their most emotional, men like Master Uzumaki are hard to discern, and that by studying his reactions, I would be able to understand the reactions of other stoic men. I think, however, that Uncle merely wished to share the details of the charge he watched from afar. Part of this storytelling from Uncle to me was that there is a universal rule: servants gossip about their masters. We may be more circumspect, call it Espionage/Counter-Intelligence training, keep things ¡°in family¡±, but we ninja are subject to this rule too.

    I learned of Master Uzumaki''s relationship with his son this way, and when I did I remember being sad. It might have been amusing had I not cared, but the whole thing was, at least as it was described by Uncle, a misunderstanding. Master Uzumaki wanted his son to master a certain level of the sword and traditional arts before branching out. His son, headstrong and young and not suited to hearing the subtleties of his seemingly cool father, disobeyed. Then, to make matters worse, refused to apologize.

    While Master Uzumaki would have likely allowed it, or forgiven his son, his honor would not let him let the disobedience lie. While the son married, and propriety was served, for years things were cold between them, though Master Uzumaki always kept my family, and the other ninja retainers, busy with updates in his son''s situation.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    As time passed, Master Daichi''s achievements grew, and my involvement, peripheral as it was, increased. I tested my stealth against his notice, and watched that first fireworks show he made. I was aware of many of his greatest successes and achievements, and, to be honest (something I may only be with myself and my master), both highly impressed and intimidated.

    Master Daichi was beyond someone you could call a prodigy or a genius. He learned at a rate that astounded his teachers and drew mention of being a reincarnation of a Saint or Sage; while in most this would be at least somewhat sarcastic, the tone used when discussing Master Daichi had an underlying tone of semi-fearful belief. Some were worried, or afraid of Master Daichi, thinking him somewhat unnatural; others almost worshipful.

    I, I was merely inspired. And Master Uzumaki could not have been prouder at his grandson''s accomplishments, though again, it was impossible to see.

    At the age of ten, I watched as Master Daichi worked on some secret project which clearly failed. He had poured effort into it, working harder than I ever had, and all self-driven. He had even managed to slightly worsen his health, truly a feat for one with the Uzumaki vitality. I knew such failure could break full grown men, let alone children, and I wanted against training to comfort him at the time, tell him not to give up. It proved unnecessary; he immediately bounced back, and after resting himself, was back to work.

    When I was eleven, and ¡°showing great promise as a kunoichi¡±, Master Daichi was collaborating with the Naval Weapons Research Group, and developed the Cyclone seals. His involvement and the entire project itself may have been secret, but I knew. I also knew how revolutionary these seals were; I heard from a cousin who watches the Navy that they necessitated entirely different naval strategy and tactics, and ensured Uzushio''s dominance at sea for generations. And yet, I also knew that the boy showed less arrogance than I held in my heart for my comparatively meager skills. I thought then that Master Daichi would not be a bad person to serve.

    Perhaps Uncle noticed this, and saw which way the wind blew when Master Daichi was working on those marvels of surveillance and destruction, the Pelicans; this may have been why he had Auntie train me to act as an assistant to a man, teaching more than the noble-lady¡¯s attendant''s arts I had learned before. Whatever the reason, I thank him. When Master Uzumaki made the announcement that he was searching for someone to become Master Daichi''s retainer, I volunteered, and was immediately on the short list of candidates.

    During the interview with Master Uzumaki and his senior ninja retainer, I listed my qualifications. I spoke of how I was trained to act within the bounds of noble society as hidden guard and invisible blade, how my skills with weapons, stealth, poisons and illusions would all be of use and complement Master Daichi''s own, greater talents. I was asked many questions, but there was one which, I believe, was responsible for my being given this honor.

    ¡°If selected,¡± Master Uzumaki began in that slow, deliberate way of his, ¡°how should I present you to my grandson?¡±

    And so I told him, how Master Daichi''s compassion would be the best way of him accepting happily.

    Master Uzumaki did as I suggested.

    Though I spent the four months before our departure in brutal training, endlessly learning combat skills from his father, and though his mother insisted in cramming some small knowledge of sealing into my mind when I too exhausted to move, and though I would be leaving my home and all I knew, I was happy.

    I had a master I could be proud to serve for the rest of my life: Uzumaki Daichi.

 Chapter 17: Enter the Hokage

    Chapter 17: Enter the Hokage

    The journey was long and uninteresting. For someone leaving their village for the first time in their memory, it might have been more significant; I, however, had traveled fairly diversely back on Earth, and had long since come to the belief that the best part of travel was finally arriving where you wanted to be. Travelling by boat and foot was far less pleasant than plane and car, and just reinforced that belief.

    I had suggested using Pelicans to drop off a summoning seal linked to a circle in Uzushiogakure; it was deemed an unnecessary expenditure of energy, unnecessary exposure of strategic capability, and an unnecessary departure from tradition. All of these but the last seemed reasonable, and so I endured the trip as well as I could.

    Admittedly, the first leg, while on a Medium Naval Escort ship was quite enjoyable. I had always loved sailing and the water, and the weather and currents weren''t so bad as to make me sea-sick. While some of the other members of the party were not so copacetic, Sachiko too was lucky enough to have a strong stomach. Unfortunately, Uzushiogakure was close to Fire''s landmass, and so we were soon on a road headed to the national capital and the Fire Daimyo''s palace.

    Of my presentation at court I''ll say little; it was highly formalized, and something of an afterthought when compared with introducing our new Ambassador, (one of) my theoretical boss(es), who was replacing the previous representative. We traded eight of the party for eight of the ambassadorial staff who were headed to home after our short detour to Konohagakure, and continued on our way.

    Konohagakure was somewhat more interesting, if only because I was going to be living there for a while (though it would not be, would never be, home). We were escorted by an honor guard to our new Consulate and washed and dressed for our visit to the Hokage''s Tower, the center of their bureaucracy.

    I was, once again, in full regalia. On my Haori''s (formal jacket-like robe''s) lapels were displayed the device of Whirlpool; beneath, slightly smaller, was my personal device, a stylized Hawk''s head (which I inherited from my family) with the kanji for ¡°seal¡± on its forehead. I wore swords which were slightly comically oversized compared to my frame, and I couldn''t help but chuckle at my image.

    I looked like a brat wearing the most expensive Halloween costume ever. I sobered when Sachiko looked at me inquisitively and shook my head. Hidden out of sight behind a sash were the remnants of Kushina''s tear-stains.

    Sachiko too was looking sharp. She had foregone her hidden weapons, though not those accessories that could be used as improvised ones (seriously, I think the only reason these women had hair like that was to make weapons of the spikes they used to style it). She was in a female dress-uniform remarkably similar to what she wore under Ojii-sama, though bearing my device rather than his. I knew her well enough by now to tell she was slightly nervous.

    We were joined by my nominal deputy, Minami Ichirou, and his assistant. Ichirou-san was, at least in theory, a samurai. In reality, while he might have been the match for some peasant bandits, Ichirou hardly qualified to be compared to the death-dealing human blenders that truly earned their title. Instead, he was well experienced in trade, and slightly less in politics.

    I had Sachiko investigate him during the journey; she found he was a moderate Progressive, one who would likely focus on creating trade and mutual profit, but not increase any military dependencies on Uzushiogakure''s part. Ichirou would take care of the day-to-day business, and much of the more formal events too. Our consulate also had a trio of servants attached to it whom I had been assured were discrete and efficient (read Uzushiogakure ninja), though I did not interact much with them.

    While we would all be living on Consulate grounds, Sachiko and I had our residence in a different building, a bit more removed from the public and closer to the attached training ground and dojo. It was actually a pretty good deal for me.  I had free lodging, and was being paid a fairly generous stipend by Kazuo-kaka as an appointed official, as well as a different small stipend as an activated militia member by Kazuo-sama; I suspected this allowance was another way of his showing appreciation for my stepping up to live in this foreign land.

    To make my financial situation even better, I would still keep whatever pay Konoha owed for my service. It wasn''t quite as much money as I had been making through the work on my inventions with Hikaru jii-san, but I wasn''t precluded from continuing that remotely, at least part-time. On the expenses side, I had myself and Sachiko to support, keeping us clothed appropriately (which could get a bit expensive with formal wear for growing boys), supplied with gear, and of course fed.

    The walk to the Hokage was reasonably short; I wasn''t sure whether Konohagakure or Uzushiogakure had paid for the land, but whoever had definitely didn''t stint. Such a decently sized tract so close to the center of the village was definitely expensive. The villagers were somewhat taken by our procession; that kind of pomp and circumstance was rarely seen in ninja spaces unless the day was a major festival, in which case it was expected.

    The ceremony where we were official greeted and welcomed by the Hokage was emotionally delicious. Mito, Danzo, a gaggle of clan heads and several other important Konoha figures were there. It was a good thing that Sachiko had been training my sensing skills towards ninja while on the trip; she would do this thing where if she had a joke or comment, she''d hold it in unless I ordered her to speak. The trick was detecting these moments; I''m not sure if she knew I''d caught on yet, but she was basically trading sensing progress in return for her lightening up a bit.

    Still, if I hadn''t been watching their chakra carefully for their reaction, I never would have caught it. When I was introduced as the Consul, they were shocked.

    It only took me a moment to realize why. See, Kazuo-kaka had played a bit of a joke on them; this wasn''t it, though the reaction was what I was looking for. When Kazuo-kaka sent the missive of our agreement to their terms, he further negotiated this consulship. In the letter, he somewhat ambiguously stated that Uzumaki Daichi, his retainer, Minami Ichirou, his assistant, and three servants would be sent when he sent ¡°the best candidate to host the Kyubi¡± and the sealing team to ensure the transfer went well. It never actually mentioned that I was the best host candidate.

    What caught up the Konohagakure dignitaries though, and a mistake I never would have suspected such a powerful ninja village to make, was my identity. I had a very distant cousin, about as distant as an Uzumaki could get, who was also called Daichi. He was a somewhat aged veteran of the Uzushiogakure Guard who had achieved a decent rank with a good reputation as a ship captain. The only reason I knew about him was that occasionally messages meant for one of us would find the other. Konohagakure must have read Uzumaki Daichi, and assumed that the other Daichi was getting the post as a kind of retirement posting.

    Instead, they got me in all of my eight year old, 4''4¡± glory.

    When they realized that Kushina wasn''t there, there were even mutters in the less important ranks of dignitaries. I very carefully, and very pointedly, did not give a glance of superiority to Sachiko at our superior breeding and manners, but I sure as hell emoted it enough that any decent sensor, and most Jonin, would have picked up on it.

    I wasn¡¯t sure how many there had the diplomatic training necessary to see what kind of a win we had just had, but I was paying attention to the Fire Daimyo''s representative to Konohagakure, and he definitely did. I was still filled with a slightly warm feeling when we (myself and Ichirou-san, as well as the Head Sealing Priest and the previous Ambassador to the Fire Daimyo, accompanied by our assistants) were invited to an ¡°intimate¡± tea with the Hokage and his three chief advisers (and their own attendants), presided over by the Fire Daimyo''s representative. Mito was apparently too poorly for much more exertion, else she''d have been attending as well as a ¡°family member¡±.

    I grinned, and thought ''let the games begin''.

    We met in a room near the Hokage''s office. Seating us was a bit interesting. On the one hand, I was the chief of the diplomatic mission, and so I was senior. On the other hand, the Head Priest was the second most senior figure in Uzushiogakure''s Sealing Department, my own senior, and hugely influential within the Clan and village.

    But, he gave the signal in Sealing Priest Cant, a set of signals used to communicate when doing complicated sealing chants and hand-chains that I should lead, and so I took the seat at the head, facing across from the Hokage. The assistants, of course, sat at the edges of the room looking like painted statues. Sarutobi just looked at me for a moment, taking stock of me.

    I''ll admit, it was a bit nervous-making. Sarutobi was already something of a legend, and a much bigger bad-ass than I. But I had stared Death in the face (the concept, not personification), and it would take far more than a stern look to phase me.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°It seems you were expecting my cousin, Hokage-sama. I would have thought that Konohagakure''s intelligence apparatus would have warned you when I was presented to the Fire Daimyo. I apologize for any confusion.¡± I swear Danzo, Mr. ¡°No Emotions Danzo,¡± twitched. It''s not common that you could get one over on the Hokage like this, and I wanted to show that I refused to be cowed.

    A moment later, the prototype of Sarutobi''s eventual ¡°lovable-grandfather¡± mask, in this case the ¡°friendly-uncle¡± mask, slipped into action. Or perhaps his business mask slipped off. I was unsure, and I suspected even Sarutobi didn¡¯t know; truly, ninja prodigies and multiple personality disorder were uncomfortably similar.

    ¡°There''s no need to apologize for anything, my boy. I assume your Uzumaki blood is particularly strong?¡± Urgh. I hated being called anyone''s anything (unless I was sleeping with them, that''s a bit different, then they could call me their dear or lover or whatever), let alone their ¡°boy¡±. It was a calculated parry that didn''t answer to the (possible) failure of their intelligence, and insulted me at the same time. But he made a mistake asking so obliquely about my age.

    ¡°If I were a boy, Hokage-sama, I would have to be recalled to Uzushiogakure. It is against our law for children to fill such positions.¡± Let''s see you backpedal now, motherfucker. If you don''t and your statement stands, I have legitimate cause to claim dismissal under our Alliance, and the whole Kyubi thing falls apart.

    ¡°It was merely a figure of speech, I meant no commentary on your adulthood, Daichi-san.¡± That was a point to me, bringing us back to even. Now to poke again¡­

    ¡°And as for my blood, it is strong.¡± There was an almost visible relaxation that I wasn''t as young as I looked that I allowed before crushing it. ¡°That said, I don''t believe I look any younger than I am; I recently turned eight. Do I look younger, Hokage-sama?¡±

    The Hokage at this point was about forty years old, a little younger than my cumulative age. He may have been more experienced with diplomatic matters, but I was running a pretty hefty mental reinforcement giving me comparatively greater brain-power, and was likely a fair bit more intelligent than he was to begin with. Most importantly, I wasn''t behaving how he expected and it had been keeping him on his back foot for the most part.

    If he thought this would be easy, he was dead wrong. I felt like the Daimyo''s representative wanted to cradle his face in his hands at the absolute mess this was becoming, but the Hokage recovered fairly well.

    ¡°You must be very impressive then, to have been appointed.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Hokage-sama, for your judgment of my abilities. I hardly need say the same of you; you must know how skilled you are, as you would not be Hokage else-wise.¡± That was a lovely turn of phrase. Just confused enough that it could be a legitimate compliment awkwardly worded because of my young age and the formal language, but at the same time vaguely hinting that the Hokage was less skilled than he appeared.

    Deciding to interject and give time for people to re-evaluate the circumstances, our mediator redirected the conversation to meaningless platitudes about the trip here, the local vegetation and flowers and such. Eventually it turned back towards business and the advisers joined into the conversation; we fenced a bit more, less aggressively, and with far more advantage to Sarutobi. I carefully avoided any openings that led to Kushina''s absence until eventually Danzo lost patience.

    ¡°And what of Kushina-sama? Was her arrival delayed?¡±

    ¡°Kushina-sama? Why would she be coming? Did you receive another faulty informant''s report?¡± I could see the annoyance in his eyes.

    ¡°The agreement we signed during the Uzushiogakure Epidemic was for Tsunade to go with all speed and do what she could as a medic; in return, Uzushiogakure would send us Kushina-sama to become the next host of the Kyubi.¡± He managed to say it without grinding his teeth in annoyance, I was impressed. But I was definitely going to turn up the heat.

    ¡°Ah yes. The Uzushiogakure Epidemic. A true tragedy, but you already knew that, didn''t you Danzo-san?¡± Let''s see what pigeons that cat manages to catch, I thought as the Hokage''s chakra pulsed in what I thought was interest. ¡°And such a shame that though Tsunade arrived, she was too late to add to the efforts of our own doctors.¡± No reason not to make them seem like petty contract-lawyers (which they were, the bastards). ¡°But, as for Kushina-sama, I remember no such agreement.¡±

    By this point, everyone''s attention was solidly on our back-and-forth. Danzo''s irritation was apparent; he must have been seriously pissed.

    ¡°Do you deny that Uzushiogakure promised us a host for the Kyubi?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see the problem now. I suppose you have not had a chance to read the documents we presented you with yet. Fortunately, I prepared and have brought copies. Sachiko.¡± At the command, Sachiko passed me copies of two documents. ¡°The first is the agreement between Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure for support. The second is Kazuo-dono and Kazuo-kaka''s missives as to how Uzushiogakure is resolving its agreement. Perhaps you should review them.¡±

    I bowed, and presented the documents to a silent Hokage. In fact, the whole room was silent and still. When I mentioned Kazuo-dono and Kazuo-kaka as two separate individuals, I like the think that Sarutobi, Danzo, and their other lickspittles arseholes clenched in knowledge of the reaming they were about to receive.

    Ok, granted, not such a great reaming, but they thought they were getting sweet, naive Kushina and got her rather spikier, sharper cousin instead, the same person who had at least held his own at the adult''s table. Let them have their minor victory; may they choke on it and on me.

    The Hokage read the documents, going over the provisions of my secondment several times before passing it to Danzo and looking up at me.

    ¡°So you''re to be the next host.¡± It wasn''t quite a question, more a statement, but I nodded and answered anyways.

    ¡°Exactly. I was originally intending to report tomorrow morning in my person of Whirlpool Reserve Militia, Recruit-Sergeant Uzumaki Daichi. Would that still be agreeable?¡± I asked with the faintest hint of amusement in my tone.

    ¡°Of course. Nine o''clock?¡±

    ¡°I''ll be here, Hokage-sama.¡±

    By this point Danzo had finished and demonstrated that he really hadn''t quite recovered his calm yet.

    ¡°So you''re the candidate? Do you have the Adamantine Chains?¡± That, that was over the line, especially in this diplomatic setting where I represented the Daimyo of Whirlpool and our meeting was mediated by the Fire Daimyo''s representative. If this weren''t informal, I might have had to call him out in an honor duel or demand punishment from the Hokage; I wasn''t quite sure which. So, of course, I capitalized.

    ¡°Are you seriously challenging the word of the Daimyo of Whirlpool in front of me, his official representative to Konohagakure? You forget your place, ninja.¡±

    See, socially speaking, only the Hokage out-ranked me as he was lord of a Great Village. Normally I, as a lesser appointee of a Daimyo and Danzo, as a greater adviser to the Hokage, would have equal-ish rank. It depended somewhat on circumstance; when acting in some of my duties, I was considered Kazuo-kaka''s direct representative, in which case I ranked higher.

    But, in another sense, ninja ranked below any samurai, even so poor an example as Ichirou, save for perhaps the Kage who was recognized as an independent city-lord by his Daimyo, and some ninja clans which had their own patents of nobility. I ranked, as did many Uzumaki, as a samurai. As soon as Danzo questioned my Daimyo''s signed documents to my face, I was able to rebuke him.

    And now the bastard would have to bow his head or face censure; if he insulted me or the Daimyo at all at this point I could claim insult and break the agreement on my Lord''s behalf. If we were somewhere like the Land of Iron, I could request, and would have to be granted, his head. Unfortunately for this instance at least, the Land of Fire was somewhat less permissive towards the samurai class.

    He bowed in dogeza.

    ¡°I apologize for my thoughtless words. Please forgive me.¡± He stayed down, as was proper until I acknowledged him.

    ¡°I think that''s both of our problem, Danzo.¡± I purposefully left out the honorific here. ¡°We speak, and act, without thinking of the potential consequences. You know, the infiltrators who spread the plague to Uzushiogakure were similar, acting without thinking. Had they thought, they would have known that had that disease spread, it would have spread throughout all the Elemental Nations. It might have even killed them, the ones that spread it. So, either they trusted our quarantine measures, or they already had a cure, or they were foolish. Not to mention the kind of damage that Uzushiogakure''s sealers might have done were they made mad with grief. But I digress. I should not blame you for the same fault I have, neh? Raise your head, Danzo-san, your misspoken words are forgotten.¡±

    By the variation in people''s chakra, that warning was well understood. Let''s see you wiggle out of this one, Danzo.

    ¡°Now, I think we are all tired. It has been a long trip, and an eventful day. I will come calling at nine in the morning, as we discussed, Hokage-sama.¡± And so after a series of goodbyes, we left and went back to the Consulate.

    Along the way, the Head Priest came up next to me and after activating a privacy seal spoke.

    ¡°You''re playing a dangerous game.¡±

    ¡°I know, Master. But, in this town, it''s the only game to play, I fear.¡±

    ¡°Are you properly prepared?¡±

    ¡°They need me. And I''ve already taken measures.¡±

    ¡°And these measures are sufficient?¡±

    ¡°I would say more than. And have no fear, they breach no Laws.¡±

    ¡°Good. I''m glad you''re prepared. It would be a shame to lose such a promising Sealer. Good night.¡±

    ¡°Good night, Master.¡±

    I had taken measures too. I had used up the majority of the chakra I had been hoarding over the previous years after the failure of Operation: Hammer of God. Just before leaving Uzushiogakure, I initiated Project Thor: The Sequel.

    It was an upgraded version of Hammer of God, using the strongest anti-laser shields I could come up with, a slightly customized visual distortion seal that would hopefully throw off radar targeting, illusion seals for spoof-targets, heat-sink seals designed to deal with volcanoes to reduce the damage from laser fire that did get through, and twice as many rods as necessary. Honestly, with the seals already designed or stock seals available with my greater knowledge level, the thing was almost embarrassingly simple to prepare, and only took me a couple days to design and build.

    The trigger was a seal on my body; as soon as I died, or failed to renew the signal on a monthly basis, the bombardment would activate, with the payload seal already in an optimal firing position above Konohagakure. I included a chakra transfer seal to maintain the anti-void shield around the payload; it was barely noticeable against my reserves. I was still scared shitless at the idea of pissing off the Orbital Fortress, but figured if I was dead or being tortured it was worth it.

    Sachiko had spotted me launching the seal the night before arriving in Konohagakure. I had warned her that if I died, or was taken, to be out of the village within 10 minutes and activate her emergency recall seal if possible. If being the Jinchuriki ever failed to protect me, I figured that this would.

    As I went to sleep, I had a single thought: I may have gone a bit overboard with Danzo.

 Chapter 18: Welcome to Konohagakure

    Chapter 18: Welcome to Konohagakure

    First thing the next day I woke, dressed, ate a breakfast prepared by Sachiko, and left for my meeting with the Hokage with her in tow (there was no way I was leaving her alone anywhere until I was more comfortable there).

    The meeting with the Hokage was fairly pro-forma, but important nonetheless; this was, after all, when I was going to try and buy myself four years before facing any missions. I saw no reason to become a combat asset, not when I had had barely any legitimate ninja training in things like survival, stealth, illusions, poisons; hell, I couldn''t even throw kunai.

    I had no reason to graduate early from the academy either. No, I wanted to grow into my body, and be as powerful and awesome as possible when I finally had to actually fight someone. The longer Sachiko and I had to train, the happier I''d be.  I never understood wanting to graduate early and enter a front-line position.  It didn¡¯t matter if someone was the best five year old, or ten year old ever; all they needed to do was meet a single stronger enemy, whatever the age, and they¡¯d be a corpse.

    In fact, enemies often prioritized the youngest.  They were the most promising after all, but oh-so easy to snuff out while they were still young and weak rather than full-grown threats.  No, I was of the mind to spend as long as possible making sure that by the time I saw combat my odds of survival (and those of Sachiko¡¯s survival) were maximized.

    I vaguely remembered that Hiruzen had a soft spot for kids. Hopefully that would extend to me despite last night. Or maybe he''d like to keep me in a known place watched by his soldiers during the day. Either way, I wanted four uninterrupted years at the Academy, the premier ninja-educating school of the Village.

    After being let into the Hokage''s office (having left Sachiko at the door), I reported with a snap.

    ¡°Hokage-sama! In accordance with the wishes of my Lord, I, Recruit Sergeant Uzumaki Daichi of the Whirlpool Militia have been indefinitely seconded to Konohagakure''s Ninja Corps!¡± Then I bowed and held position. It may have been in a bit of a high-pitched voice, but I liked my greeting. I was dressed in a fairly snazzy work-dress uniform from the Uzushio Sealing Department, including my swords and High Expert Sealer patch. Today I looked like a brat playing at being a soldier instead of playing at being a lord. I was fairly sure the Hokage was amused.

    ¡°At ease!¡± he replied. I relaxed my bow. ¡°So, you''ve been sent here to become the next Jinchuriki?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir! With your approval, we will prepare and perform the Sealing in the secure room at the Consulate three days hence.¡± It was actually quite amusing to play the dutiful subordinate when we both know I was anything but.

    ¡°Very good. Other than your potential as a Jinchuriki, please list your skills and attributes.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir! I am eight years old. I have been trained by my father, who is from a samurai family, and by my mother and her father, who are both sealers. I am qualified as an Advanced Instructor of the Whirlpool-Fist style, and a Basic Instructor of the Whirlpool-Sword style. I am effective with Wind and Water chakra techniques. I am an Expert Sealer. I can use the Adamantine Sealing Chains, and use chakra flow techniques through them. I am a fair sensor. I am familiar with court protocol, and have some diplomatic training. I possess a retainer, who has been trained to be my assistant and Chief of Household by her family who are themselves retainers to my Grandfather.¡±

    ¡°An impressive list, especially for one so young. What would you like to do?¡±

    ¡°Sir! I would like to go to the Academy.¡±

    ¡°Really? Why? I would think you would want to be a ninja immediately, or maybe work in the Sealing Corps.¡±

    ¡°Not so. I am only on secondment, I may not grant Uzushiogakure''s or my Clan''s sealing secrets. As for the Academy, I will receive valuable training in stealth, field medicine, survival, tracking, espionage, infiltration, interrogation and counter-intelligence. I may also learn about poisons and illusions. Further, I am somewhat unused to people my age, as I have been tutored. I, I believe socialization may be useful.¡±

    I made sure to make the last bit sound a bit hesitant. I was sure Sarutobi saw through it, but was hoping that he thought I was trying to play him to be able to make friends because I actually wanted friends, rather than wanting another four years before combat. Then again, it''s possible he was thinking I was operating on an even deeper level after last night. Or a total fool for challenging Danzo. I couldn''t tell.

    This was why I hated dealing with ninja and diplomacy; seals at least you could test, no matter how complicated they got or how weird the results. With ninja, I always felt like the Dread Pirate Roberts from the Princess Bride in the scene with the poison. Like him, I also felt that desire to attack everything to make sure I got my target. After a pause, the Hokage finally nodded and answered.

    ¡°Very good. It is good to know your limitations, and attempt to account for them. I''ll grant your request to join the Academy. A new class is entering in three weeks, you will join them. I assume you want your retainer to accompany you?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    ¡°I assume she can keep up. Very well, I''ll place her with your group. Now, I''ve arranged for Jiraiya, one of my students, to give you a tour. He''s waiting outside. Dismissed.¡± I blinked, a bit taken aback that he hadn''t asked any questions about what I''d insinuated last night, then bowed again.

    ¡°Thank you sir!¡± I replied, and marched out the door. I saw Sachiko very studiously not looking at a man who was, at a guess, in his early twenties and inspecting her rather blatantly. His massive mane of white hair made it difficult to tell his age. ''So,'' I thought, ''this is Jiraiya''. The fact he was ogling my retainer instantly got my dander up. I walked up to him, and looked him up and down before sneering slightly.

    ¡°I had already heard you were a pervert, but I didn''t think you were so depraved as to ogle children, ero-Jiraiya-san.¡± He just spluttered while a nearby secretary had to hide her laugh as a cough. We began walking towards the exit.

    ¡°I wasn''t ogling her, dammit! And what do you mean you already heard I was a pervert! I''m a super-pervert!¡± Wow. I did not expect that; the world had been so much more serious than in canon. I really didn''t think that he would actually be that insane. Maybe it was just to get us to drop our guard.

    ¡°Even in Uzushiogakure, we''ve heard of you, Jiraiya,¡± (this was a total lie) I said, and waited a moment for him to puff himself up in pride. ¡°Yes, the great failure of Sarutobi Hokage-sama, his student Jiraiya who unlike his team-mates excels only in perversion.¡± I could tell that hit home a bit but Jiraiya just laughed it off.

    ¡°Wow. You go right for the kill, don''t you kid? Now I know why Sensei said to watch out for your tongue. But I really wasn''t ogling her, just trying to spot all her hidden weapons; I kept noticing more.¡± That bastard. Giving good compliments to my retainer was totally not on; I trusted this giant prick about as far as I could throw him without using chakra.

    ¡°See, Sachiko-san, when a no-good man like him gives you a compliment like that, do you know what to do?¡±

    ¡°No, Daichi-sama, what should I do?¡± she asked softly and as if deeply interested in the subject.

    ¡°You ignore him. The compliments of a no good man are less than the barking of a dog.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I see. I will bear this in mind, Daichi-sama.¡± I loved Sachiko; she played the perfect straight-man.

    ¡°Alright, kid, alright. I get the point. Eyes off, hands off. In fact, we''ll start the tour now. Happy?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. You''re much better than Danzo-san, you know. Much more subtle, and I''m mostly left without an over-riding desire to explode you.¡± I told Jiraiya that I understood he was trying to take my measure. It would be dangerous to be underestimated too much, just as it would to be overestimated too much. Even an accurate accounting could prove dangerous, but I had to do and Jiraiya was a decent sort in canon (mostly). An idiot, and idealistic, but at something least trying to do good.

    ¡°You''re really sharp, huh. I never would have believed there was an eight year old like you without meeting you, Daichi-kun.¡± I nodded at the compliment. ¡°Alright, let''s get going on that tour.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Jiraiya was a surprisingly competent tour guide, and we ended the day with a much better understanding of not just the best places to eat and shop, but of Konohagakure''s identity, culture and idiosyncrasies.

    Konoha was a completely different place to Uzushiogakure. It was significantly larger, less prosperous, and had a high combat tempo that resulted in a high attrition rate. Because of this, Konohagakure had some fairly unique solutions to their particular situation.

    If you have any ideas from the anime or manga, forget them; the manga/anime massively misrepresented the numbers of ninja that there were. First off, there wasn''t one academy, there were several, and even more outposts throughout the Land of Fire that could train genin. Overall, including reserves, logistic corps, etc., Konoha could call on a little more than twenty thousand ninja, and graduated over two thousand a year out of a static village population somewhere north of two hundred thousand. The Land of Fire itself could call on another fifteen to twenty thousand more ninja, as independent ninja Clans or retainers that could be activated by the Daimyo.

    Of those that were ¡°active¡± Konoha ninja, about eight thousand were combat-fit but crippled in some way that made them have to leave the active forces, or just too old; ninja with long-distance mobility issues, for example, could not be active-combat forces. Many of them still taught, worked in the hospital or in logistics, or any of a dozen different departments that don''t actually result in doing frequent missions; all did regular training as part of the reserve.

    Of the twelve thousand remaining potential combat troops, fully half were employed as ordered by the Daimyo; they could be attached as special forces units in the national military, acted as couriers or internal spies, and policed the border and roads. This was where most of the ¡°genin corps,¡± those genin too unpromising to be ¡°elite genin¡± on the fast-track to Jonin path, and the ¡°chunin corps¡±, most of whom were once part of the genin corps, ended up.

    Those who tried out for elite genin (like the Rookie Nine or Twelve or whatever highlighted by the show) got two chances.  The first was when they had the Jonin test.  Just being allowed to take the Jonin test required graduating in one of the top classes, and even still only about a third passed.

    If they failed, the new ninja went to the genin academy, rather than the student academy, with the rest of the leftovers from the academy program who never even got a chance.  They were then given general forces, specialization, and electives training. They then got to try the Jonin test one more time, along with the most promising of the genin who never got to try in the first place.

    If they failed that test, then they faced another one to two years of training at the genin academy, leaving when they either tested (and passed) as a genin, or tested into a specialist training program (medic, sealing, genjutsu, ninjutsu, strategy, stealth etc.). Out of a class of two thousand graduates, only two to four hundred would end up in the elite-track, or one of the specialization programs that gave similar benefits and reputation.

    All of its reserves, logistical requirements, and the Daimyo''s requirements left Konoha with only six thousand active duty combat-forces. About two thousand of these were kept as a guard in and around Konoha, though about half of the guards were ¡°paper-guards¡± who trained with guard units, but spent most of the actual ¡°guarding¡± time in the hospital or Torture and Interrogation or whatever.

    There were also about four hundred ANBU. Another eight hundred were hunter-nin, or on long-term infiltration or recruitment assignments across the countries. Tsunade, when Naruto retrieved her to become Hokage was probably (at least nominally) one of these. Within the village, there was the hospital staff, who also operated the combat-medic training center, Torture and Interrogation, Sealing Corps, Academy Staff, Specialist Training Staff, Cryptography, Strategy Office, etc., all taking up about another eight hundred active duty ninja. This left Konoha with only two thousand active duty ninja to deploy at will on mercenary missions.

    While two thousand were not that many to be the principle bread-winners of the village, it was still one sixth of the total active combat forces, and they kept up a very high combat tempo. Casualties above twenty percent in dead ninja alone (and thus much higher if including crippled ninja) per year would be considered good when dealing with the active mercenary ninja, and these losses were especially concentrated in the fresh genin ranks. Some years casualties might rise above eighty percent, especially as a shadow-war with a foreign village was shaping up. When combined with the losses suffered in the forces working for the Daimyo, reinforcements were crucial to continued operation.

    About two hundred of these two thousand active workers were jonin, not all of whom would or could mentor genin-teams, and about a hundred and twenty genin would join the elite-track every year coming from a total of four different academies.

    The competition was fierce, and this was where the Clans truly shined. They may have only supplied a tenth to a fifth of the Konoha forces (clans tended to keep some of their ninja self-employed, so they functioned similar to reserves), but they were consistently better trained, with specialist skills, better gear, and there was something to be said for serious selective breeding. The acknowledged members of major and minor clans, whether main or branch houses, between them made up sixty percent of jonin or special jonin, forty percent of Elite Chunin, and twenty five percent of the total chunin.

    Another little factoid; Konoha, and the other villages, were obsessed with breeding (not that Uzushio was all that different). Most clans in the anime were Great Clans. A combination of numbers (typically above two hundred mission-capable ninja each, only a fraction of which actively worked for the village), talent, bloodline ability and accumulated wealth made them indispensable to the village. Their leaders had automatic seats on the Hokage''s Security Council. The Hyuga, Uchiha, Nara, and similar clans were among these. Then, there were the minor clans. Typically between twenty and fifty ninja, they tended to have lesser bloodlines or secret techniques, often with some sort of instability or weakness, but the number of these lesser clans made them an important part of Konoha''s might.

    Clans all had charters that laid out what it took to be a member, and there were typically at least two, sometimes three or four categories someone might fall into. Main members would be full clan members of the main house. If there was a line of succession, they were probably in it, or could challenge for leadership when it became available. Branch members were recognized as members of the clan, but typically ineligible for leadership, and had lesser stations compared to the main branch.

    The third category were clan affiliates or auxiliaries. Often illegitimate children born to a civilian or a non-related ninja such that it was unlikely that they unlocked the bloodline (if there was one), or were untrained in the secret arts of the clan. Affiliates who were successful as ninja frequently became concubines after reaching chunin, and in rare cases were married, most frequently by branch-members. A particularly successful affiliate might be adopted, normally by their birth parent, especially if they unlocked the bloodline through whatever circumstances.

    The last category were clan retainers. This normally included any civilians that were part of the clan, as well as non-related ninja that serve it or its members for whatever reasons.

    The cause of there being so many Affiliates was the Konoha policy on relationships; Konoha wanted the most successful shinobi to breed, and breed prodigiously. The village had only a few hundred jonin at any point in time, and it took the deaths of thousands of genin and chunin to get them. If there was anything in their genes that could be passed on to have more successful ninja in the future, then Konoha wanted it. This led to a number of seemingly odd but very logical practices.

    Jonin were eligible to go to brothels with loyalty-screened employees for free, and could take them as concubines if desired. Jonin were allowed any number of wives and concubines, and got a tax-reduction or allowance (if retired) for every child. Chunin were encouraged to have at least one wife and one to three concubines, had access to the brothels at a relatively low rate, and were given slightly less generous allotments for any children. Even genin got marriage assistance and child-support.

    Female ninja were encouraged to attempt to seduce superior-ranking male ninja (so long as they were out of their rank-structure or not on active deployment), and those that made chunin, especially if they might make jonin in the future, were encouraged to retire, or at least take a non-active posting, and have children. There were sperm and egg banks as well, of varying security levels, and citizens were encouraged to make use of them to the limit of their security clearance.

    So, I hope that explains Konoha, the number of their ninja, and how they could survive their high levels of attrition. Note that none of this was cheap; in fact, ninja saw the vast majority of their funds going to the village, especially on missions higher than D-Rank.

    That said, ninja lived well, and having all the chicks and children you wanted was typically a good reason not to go missing nin to avoid high taxes.  In fact, chunin with little sex drive made up the majority of attempted defections; Konoha even tested for it as part of the routine psychological profiling.

    In comparison, Uzushiogakure had very much lower combat casualties, partially due to a lower combat tempo, and partially due to having the luxury of greater resources for all ranks of soldier including things like a medical stasis seal for any soldier in the field in case of serious injury. Uzushio troops trained for longer, and had more access to specialist training than any other nation.

    The main Uzushiogakure combat mission involved anti-piracy escorts and patrolling Whirlpool''s territory.  Whirlpool''s ships were better built, better armed, better crewed and equipped with the latest in weapons development and seals.  The only real threat was Kirigakure naval combat groups, and even still they would need to outnumber the Uzushio forces to have an advantage.

    The ninja and samurai worked hand in hand with the National Guard and Militia, resulting in greater combat efficiency and fewer occasions of Samurai officers giving damaging orders to their ninja subordinates. Most years, Uzushio tended to suffer more losses due to injuries from training accidents or sailing itself than to actual combat.

    So when an enthusiastic Jiraiya explained the concept of what were basically factories to breed ninja, it seemed very strange to me, and I suspected to Sachiko. Especially given my age. I resolved to apply a birth-control seal to both myself and Sachiko as soon as we returned to the Consulate, and place the strongest security seal possible over it. Soon enough, the tour ended. Jiraiya left, and when we returned, I applied the seals before retiring to bed.

    Soon enough, I would be meeting the Kyubi. I would need my rest.

 Chapter 19: Interlude 2: Uncomfortable Meetings (Sarutobi Hiruzen)

    Chapter 19: Interlude 2: Uncomfortable Meetings (Sarutobi Hiruzen)

    After the departure of the Uzushiogakure delegation, I just wanted to sigh. That had not gone at all as I was expecting.

    ¡°Thank you for your time tonight. I''ll want to have a meeting with you tomorrow, Mitokado, Koharu. Say, 2 o''clock? Danzo, I''d like to see you in my office; we have some village business to discuss.¡± I turned towards the Daimyo''s representative. ¡°Thank you for hosting our discussion, Yasu-sama.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, Hokage-sama. It was very interesting.¡± Ahhh¡­ I just wanted to sigh again.

    After arriving at my office I dismissed my security detail and put up the privacy seals. I sat down but pointedly did not offer Danzo a seat.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± I demanded.

    His face didn¡¯t even twitch. ¡°I apologize. I should never have let a child get under my skin like that.¡±

    ¡°No, you damned well shouldn''t have. We''ll discuss that, and him, and the many intelligence failures later. You know what I''m talking about. Don''t dodge the question.¡±

    ¡°You know you''re not meant to know what measures I take for Village security. That was our agreement when I formed Root,¡± Danzo stonewalled.

    I snarled. ¡°Yes. That was the agreement BEFORE WE WERE SUSPECTED OF SPREADING PLAGUE TO AN ALLY!¡± I had lost it, flaring Killing Intent and shouting. ¡°Explain yourself. Now, Jonin Shimura. Did we even do it?¡±

    ¡°We''re not responsible.¡± God. When had it gotten this bad? Even directly questioning him, I couldn''t get a straight answer out of the twisted bastard.

    ¡°So why do they suspect us?¡± I asked as if he were a particularly unintelligent child.

    ¡°Likely because the infiltrators had seals to penetrate their sensor network and we pressed so hard for a new host for the Kyubi.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what? How did they get seals capable of penetrating Uzushio''s sensor network?¡±

    The silence was damning.

    ¡°Gods above Danzo, how could you let this blow back on us! They probably suspect that it was Root that launched the attack!¡± I exclaimed.

    ¡°We needed a host. I did what was necessary. There''s no proof I supplied the seals.¡±

    ¡°No. Because Uzumaki trained sealers grow on trees, do they?¡± I asked rhetorically, sarcastically. ¡°I''m surprised they didn''t declare war.¡±

    ¡°Against the wishes of Uzumaki Daichi from the looks of it. Why the hell would an eight year old have known about this?¡±

    ¡°Well he''s clearly no ordinary eight year old. I think that''s obvious. I never would have thought I''d see the day where a child managed to get such advantage over you. Your insult almost cost us our future Jinchuriki.¡±

    Danzo grimaced at the reminder. ¡°At least we know what to expect now,¡± he replied.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°They really pulled a fast one on us,¡± I said.  Honestly it was a pretty admirable political move, one I¡¯d appreciate infinitely more if it wasn¡¯t aimed at Konoha. ¡°I didn''t expect it from Kazuo-dono. And the information we received from Mito-sama didn''t even mention him as a possibility.¡± What a fucking mess.

    ¡°Clearly her influence is far less than she would have us believe.¡±

    ¡°But we''ve been basing all of our interactions on it.¡± I hated this. I hated lacking information, being less informed than someone who was eight damned years old. It was an embarrassment.  ¡°What could they do, if they wanted to?¡± I asked Danzo. He was likely more informed than I.

    ¡°Well, it''s likely from what Daichi said that they now have stocks of the disease, and have weaponized it,¡± he answered with a grimace. ¡°And their Sealing Department, well¡­ there''s a reason they are feared, even if I suspect there are many exaggerations.¡±

    ¡°Danzo. This was a disaster. I just¡­ *sighs* Let''s discuss the other intelligence failures first.¡±  Obviously I¡¯d have to bring Danzo to heel.  This was just inexcusable.  But changing the subject gave me time to consider how to manage that.

    ¡°You mean the fact that we didn''t know we were getting an eight year old from a samurai family as both our Consul and future Jinchuriki?¡± he clarified.

    ¡°Yes. How the hell did our agents miss that?¡±

    ¡°I think because they weren''t looking for it. Clearly the training will need to be improved.¡±

    ¡°Clearly,¡± I semi-mockingly deadpanned. ¡°Do we know anything about him?¡±

    ¡°Other than what we learned tonight? No. He may be related to the Sea-Hawk Samurai. He was a Naval officer, though he''s retired now. Very effective, very old-school samurai if I remember correctly.¡±

    ¡°Well that''s something. Now we just need to find out everything else.¡±

    ¡°How do you intend to?¡± he asked. ¡°We''ll lose Mito-sama''s contacts soon.¡±

    ¡°No, Mito-sama''s contacts are clearly unreliable. I think I''ll just ask him.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Danzo chuckled. ¡°Where will you put him?¡±

    ¡°The Academy, I think. With his diplomatic status, and as someone who is ''indefinitely seconded'' it''s vital he makes bonds with the village. He''s young; he may even forget his previous suspicions.¡±  But I sincerely doubted it.

    ¡°I doubt it. I think he is far more like me in that respect,¡± Danzo voiced my concern.

    ¡°Danzo, let me make myself clear. You may, under no circumstances, act against him in any way. His protection, and Uzushiogakure''s protection, have by necessity become our greatest priorities. When word reaches the court of our discussion¡­ we need to go above and beyond.¡±

    ¡°I could have the representative removed from play.¡±

    ¡°Are you fucking insane! Daichi is likely in contact with his embassy. If he heard of that, he would certainly ensure that the Daimyo heard of his suspicions, both about the plague and about the representative''s death.¡±

    ¡°It was just a possibility.¡±

    ¡°No. In fact, double the guard on him. If he even had an accident¡­ that''s the last thing we need right now. And post a guard on Daichi and the rest of his mission.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now, Danzo¡­ this can''t be without consequences. From now on, I expect a weekly or daily update on planned Root operations as appropriate to their timing. Further, you will undertake no mission involving the destabilization of a foreign power without permission. Is that understood?¡± This, this I expected a fight on. Danzo had always itched at the thought of even light oversight, and this was heavy.

    ¡°Hiruzen! You can''t be serious. You know your own limitations, why Root is needed and why I need to run it! You''ve always been too moral to do what''s truly necessary.¡± That. Disrespectful. Little. Fuck.

    ¡°Jonin-Captain Shimura Danzo, you forget yourself!¡± I roared, standing up and putting my finger in his face. ¡°I am your HOKAGE, damn you! You serve at my wishes, and if you''ve forgotten that fact I''ll accept your retirement. There''s a reason Sensei picked me as his successor. You lack something. It makes you a wonderful weapon, but you''ve begun to cut indiscriminately. I will be wielding you directly. Is that understood!¡±

    At some point in my tirade he had come to a formal kneeling salute.  ¡°Yes, Hokage-sama!¡±

    I sat down in my seat.  ¡°Good. I''ll expect the first update on Root in person tomorrow, and weekly updates from those watching over Daichi. Dismissed.¡±

    Danzo wasted no time leaving. As I sat back in my chair, and pulled out a flask of sake from a drawer, I wondered when things had gotten this bad.

    But whatever the answer, I knew I was getting too old for this shit.

 Chapter 20: Back to School

    Chapter 20: Back to School

    On the third day after ¡°Danzo''s Teatime Smack-down¡± we re-sealed Kyubi. I had no desire to speak to Mito, and so was in ¡°contemplative isolation in preparation of receiving the Kyubi¡± basically as soon as Jiraiya''s tour ended.  It wasn¡¯t just an excuse; I actually did do some contemplation. I modified my memory-palace, as I assumed that would end up being my mind-scape, so that there would be a large wooded space leading up to the beach and ocean so that Kyubi might be comfortable.

    The sealing itself was something of a disappointment; sure, it involved three high ranked specialist priests, one of whom was the second most senior Sealer period, but it didn''t live up to my expectations. Why, you ask? Well, because whatever the transfer did, Kyubi was in a deep sleep afterward. I left a message on the wall of the fence keeping him enclosed, telling him to give a shout when he was awake, and then came out of my meditation. Mito was dead, and the party of Sealers and their escorts returned to Uzushiogakure.

    Two weeks after Sachiko and I finished getting settled, school began. It was very weird being back in an organized, structured school, as it had been decades since I had completed my Masters of Engineering. It didn''t help that I was expected to introduce myself in most of my classes.

    I had something of an irregular schedule, taking many advanced electives as well as some general requirements like field-craft (outdoors), field-craft (urban), emergency medicine (basic), ninja tools (basic) and the like. There were enough advanced electives covering either higher levels of the basics, or more specialized skills like genjutsu (illusions) or Advanced Movement without Chakra (parkour), that I would be able to just stretch my studies out to the full four years possible, though to do so I needed to claim Independent Credits in Clan Required Studies for Sealing, Whirlpool-Fist and Sword, and my own personal diplomatic duties.

    The advanced classes were typically full of eleven and twelve year olds, with the exception of the rare genius or clan-born specialist, and I while I was entering at the beginning of a new term, it was still mid-year and none of these brats had met me before. Sachiko looked suitably old, but I looked a bit odd, and so our introductions had a high level of attention even before we started speaking. I''ll relate how the first introduction went. The others were not so different that they need telling. The class was Advanced Battlefield Presence, which taught both basic Killing Intent as well as how to counter it, and gave an introduction to similar proto-genjutsu auras.

    So there I was, standing at the front of the class in a training outfit, which was basically a scaled-down Uzumaki combat-sealer uniform with some slits to push chains through, wearing my oversized swords (which I was finally not bumping things with). Sachiko stood behind my shoulder, and wore an outfit based on the female Clan-guard''s uniform, though it did include my device to show her allegiance. And all these fucking brats were staring at us. More specifically at me. Except for a few boys who were staring at Sachiko and had thus already announced their desire to ¡°spar¡± with me.

    ¡°So, why don''t you introduce yourself?¡± Hmm¡­ I thought I how I should, then decided to play up the samurai angle.

    ¡°Yosh! I am Recruit-Sergeant Uzumaki Daichi of Whirlpool''s Militia. I have been seconded to Konohagakure''s service indefinitely as part of a diplomatic program; you may address me as Daichi-san or Daichi-kun as appropriate, as there were many Uzumaki at home and things got confusing otherwise. If, however, you see me in formal clothing, then I am likely fulfilling my duties as Junior Baron Courtier of the Fifth Rank and Assistant to the Ambassador to the Fire Daimyo''s court, Consul to Konohagakure Uzumaki Daichi. Please watch over me.¡± As I finished, I lightly bowed to the somewhat stunned room. It was a very samurai greeting; all about what my role and duties and title were, but nothing about me as a person. The teacher sighed.

    ¡°Daichi-kun, why not tell them something about yourself. What you like, dislike, and your goals, for example?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± I nodded. ¡°My name is Uzumaki Daichi. I am eight years old. I like Uzushiogakure, training with my family and tutors, and learning about seals. I dislike those that threaten Uzushiogakure. My goals are to learn ninja skills at this academy, and bring honor to my Lord, my village, and my family.¡± There. I think that should set the right tone.

    ¡°Good. And now, Hisakawa-chan, would you care to do the same?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My name is Hisakawa Sachiko. I am Daichi-sama''s retainer, as my family are retainers to his Ojii-sama. I too like Uzushiogakure, and training with my family, as well as serving Daichi-sama,¡± dammit, Sachiko, you totally did that double-meaning on purpose. I guessed she felt like my sensing was adequate to her concealment of amusement. She continued over the faint whispers. ¡°I dislike those that threaten Daichi-sama or his interests. My goals are to become an excellent retainer and serve my master.¡± Yep. Definitely on purpose. Maybe she wanted me to have rivals to push my progress? Or was using me to shield herself from them. Or laying claim against the other females to protect me. Actually, with her, it was likely the last of those options.

    I guess the teacher didn''t think that he could keep everyone calm after that without some questions being answered, and so opened up the floor to questioners.

    ¡°Daichi-san, are you a samurai?¡± from a somewhat weak-looking girl with the indication of being a clan-affiliate.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°This one has the honor of such a title,¡± I replied half-jokingly in ultra-formal language. It also didn''t exactly answer the question. I was a samurai, but that was only a fraction of my being, and I always preferred honesty.

    ¡°How are you only eight and yet the Consul to the village?¡± from a slightly jealous looking scruffy boy with brown hair wearing a green jacket.

    ¡°I would not presume to speak for my Lord''s decisions.¡± Better than ¡°classified¡±, but still kid, what the fuck were you expecting?

    ¡°Sachiko-chan, are you dating anyone?¡± His face I would definitely remember. The cocky little shit was in a fancy outfit and bore the symbol of one of the richer clans that straddled the line between ninja and merchant. I wasn''t sure if I''d beat him, or cripple him to make a point, but he''d definitely made the list.

    ¡°No. My duties do not give me the time.¡± Nice shutdown, Sachiko.

    ¡°Daichi-kun, are you dating anyone?¡± This from a girl in a pretty outfit. Gods, what did they feed these brats to make them like this? We all just met each other, kiddies. Give it an hour maybe?

    ¡°No. I''m eight. And we don''t know each other well enough for you to call me ''-kun'' yet.¡± I''m fairly sure I had started to emit a bit of spiritual pressure myself, and so the instructor decided to call a stop to things and a move-on with the class.

    The Academy went well. Those first six months, I mostly caught up on the basic field-survival I had missed out on (easily solved via judicious use of photographic memory of edible versus poisonous plants and wilderness survival techniques) as well as Konohagakure history and standard operating procedures and communication conventions like their battle-signing. It wasn''t much fun, but was necessary; in later semesters I''d be able to do more interesting classes, as these basically ended the requirements I''d need to integrate into a Konoha unit.

    The only top-tier elective class I was taking was actually that one on Advanced Battlefield Presence, and it was very interesting. Basically, Presence, which included Killing Intent, took advantage of sympathetic resonance transfer in chakra. By flaring your chakra presence, in effect making the pressure of your chakra available to notice, you could add some emotion or sensation that would be transferred to your enemies. Your own confidence in their destruction, or the certainty you''d kill them painfully was a favorite. You could also help out allies, though that was more practiced by samurai commanders to improve troop morale, by flaring chakra and filling them with the sensation of inevitable victory while demotivating enemy troops.

    The interesting thing about the Presence was that it differentiated between enemies and allies. Those that identified themselves as being ¡°on your side¡± would be often be buoyed up by the technique, while those opposing would be filled negatively affected. It mostly gave you the presence of whatever it was you were flaring, making you a conceptual representation of it to the eyes of those effected. I imagined that greater beings like minor Kami would use something similar, but on a greater order of magnitude when they took up their Aspect; at a strong enough level, the world, or at least the world''s chakra, might identify you as having authority over whatever your Presence was associated with.

    I proved to be something of a monster with my custom version of killing intent. The first time I used it at a reduced setting, and still knocked out the majority of the class (including the instructor). After that I got some serious sideways looks, and was banned on experimenting on the other students using aggressive Presences. Even Sachiko was left shivering for hours after.

    The reason I was so overpowered was that the effect of the Presence depended on three things. First, intensity of chakra flair, particularly the spiritual energy you had. Second, the skill of applying the Presence. Third, the intensity of the experience used to power it. Range depended most on skill, second on intensity of chakra. But the effect, effect depended most on driving experience, then on intensity multiplied by a factor depending on skill. And my driving experience was brutal.

    It was well known that people like combat-experienced jonin could make the ¡°best¡± killing intent. They had experienced the closeness of death, and had dealt enough of it to be familiar. Straight up psychos were pretty good at it too. But I, I had passed through Death and remembered it. Granted the memories weren''t great.

    So when I subjected those unfamiliar with it to the sheer presence of the Void, it tended to overload their mind, and do a forced reset.  This left a remaining existential dread behind even after I stopped the technique. I was told not to use my power without first preparing any nearby allies, and a note was put into my file strongly suggesting Killing Intent Tolerance training for any future team-mates of mine. Sachiko forced me to practice at home until she could stay combat effective despite the aura, and didn''t sleep well for weeks.

    The assistant instructor started to teach me about the subtler uses of Presence.  While at a gross level Presence could be used as indiscriminate Killing Intent, there were two ways that it could be refined. The first was in skill of applying the Presence; there were ways to focus it to only affect certain people or spaces. The second was in the types of Presence you could project.  While I had good chakra control in general, and amazing control considering my absolutely huge reserves, I still had problems with limiting the area of effect, especially at longer ranges. So, while I could limit range, and within about ten or fifteen feet apply it only to those I wanted to, I couldn''t show that kind of refined targeting during combat.

    But applying different Presences was something I proved extremely skilled at, especially within the focus of ¡°Presences which are part of my identity.¡± To do that, all I really had to do was focus for a moment on a facet of my personality, and draw that forward. This was similar to relatively basic levels of meditation I had long since mastered, and so I quickly became capable of focusing certain aspects of my personality and projecting them as a Presence.

    It was particularly useful for social situations, since I could use minor chakra flaring to establish a Presence at interpersonal ranges. I could even fill myself with my own identity as a whole, something I knew so well from my mind/soul-binding, and make other people understand me better and faster. This too I practiced with Sachiko so that we''d be a more effective team. Her eyes were a bit wider around me for a while as she adapted, but she eventually acted normally again; it did succeed in making her a bit less formal and more comfortable around me, so I counted it as a success.

    Overall, although the Presence Projection techniques were relatively minor, I managed to take them to a truly effective level, and they were effectively free to use in life and battle.

    The semester ended, and I looked forward to a short, relaxing break.  Sadly, it proved to be very busy.

 Chapter 21: No Rest for the Wicked

    Chapter 21: No Rest for the Wicked

    During the break following the end of that first semester was the only truly major occurrence of my Academy years, but what a major occurrence it was.

    It started off a lazy Wednesday at the end of spring, just at the start of summer. I had thought of the idea of having Ramen at Teuchi''s, as it was Naruto''s favorite joint and, well, I felt like it.  Being a relatively powerful noble, that was really all the justification I needed. But Konoha was a big place, and I had no idea if it even existed at that point.

    So, rather than look for it, I had Sachiko do so.  I cannot recommend having competent minions enough; 10/10 would hire again. I told her that I had once heard about ¡°the best Ramen restaurant in the World¡± from a traveler in Uzushio, and that the owner, or perhaps his son, was called Teuchi. Sachiko found the place in a couple days.

    We were on the way when the emergency communications seal I wore on a wristband heated up. I told Sachiko, and we ran at full speed back to the Consulate.

    I immediately joined Ichirou-san in the communications room, then sealed it and activated privacy protections. On the video-seal was an image of the same Council meeting room where we had discussed the epidemic nearly a year ago. A few people were still trickling in, but within a few minutes Kazuo-sama had called the room to order.

    ¡°As of two days ago, surveillance flights over Kirigakure''s fleet as well as more cursory inspection of ports in Lightning have shown increased activity. Military readiness was raised. As of an hour ago, a large fleet consisting of Lightning and Water origin ships have rendezvoused near the North-Western Island of Water-country, about 400 miles away from our shores.¡± He pointed to a map on a stand.

    Oh my god. It was war.

    <b>Spoiler</b>:  ¡°Map¡± <input type="button" value="Show" class="spoilerButton">

    (Not exactly to scale)

    https://orig00.deviantart.net/271a/f/2013/072/c/3/elemental_nations_political_map_by_xshadowrebirthx-d58zgoq.png</a>

    ¡°A number of the ships from the Land of Lightening are bearing Iwagakure flags. Others bear the flags of Iwa or Kumo vassals. We plan on meeting the enemy near here, about two hundred miles from Uzushiogakure in two days'' time. The main battle fleet will consist of the Flagship Spirit of Uzushiogakure, eight Naval Escorts and twenty Patrol Craft. Other fleet elements will be patrolling our waters in case of a sneak attack from a different direction. Three waves, each with a hundred and fifty Pelicans will be dispatched, one hour apart from each other, as will the Custom Pelican Wing.¡±

    Holy shit. That was a lot of fire-power. A standard Patrol-Craft at the time had a broadside of two Cyclone-Bullet Seal turrets and a Cycle-Cannon Seal turret, for a total of four Bullet seals and two Cannon seals. The turrets were fully reticulated, and could fire in most any direction; all Uzushio ships were capable of forward firing chase configurations. An Escort had eight dual-purpose turrets with a Cannon-Seal and a co-axial Bullet Seal. The Spirit of Uzushiogakure was even more impressive. A testbed of advanced and prototype seals, it was capable of things that most people, myself included, were totally unaware of, and probably beyond our expectations. Beyond that, it had sixteen dual-purpose turrets, and likely carried a far higher proportion of more advanced and more destructive seals applied to the shells in the cannon magazines.

    With a rate of fire of 2,500 rounds a minute for the Bullet Seals and 250 rounds a minute for the Cannon Seals, as well as a minimum ammunition allotment sufficient to keep up that rate of fire for at least ten minutes continuous combat, our fleet would be able to lay down millions of bullets and hundreds of thousands of cannon rounds without the Pelicans being taken into account. Kazuo-sama continued to lay out the plan.

    ¡°The fleet will arrange itself ready to fire over the horizon, using targeting information fed into the sealing network from the Pelican surveillance flight. When the enemy ships are within nineteen kilometers of the fleet, the attack will begin.

    ¡°The enemy ships are currently arranged with the Kirigakure war-ships in front, smaller groups of fast-moving ships on the flanks, and the bulk of their transports in the protected pocket that they form. Wings of thirty Pelicans each will simultaneously strike each group, focusing on damaging sails and oars to limit mobility, as well as deploying underwater hunter-seekers to prevent ninja fleeing through the water or by water-walking. After the first pass, the Pelicans will draw back and reform.

    ¡°While the Pelicans reform, the ships will begin bombardment. After approximately five minutes, they will cease fire, allowing the Pelican Wings to strike again. The thirty reserve Pelicans will chase down any runners. The Custom Pelican Wing will attack particularly fierce enemy resistance, and deal with any Jinchuriki or special challenges that are with the fleet.

    ¡°Should the initial assault prove insufficient, the fleet will continue to harry the enemy armada, and subsequent Pelican Waves will concentrate on the remainder. This will continue until all enemies are dead and all ships sunk. Overflights will search for enemy survivors for a week following the operation.

    ¡°Following this, I believe it is time to capture Water-Country. They have been a threat long enough. Five days after the battle, I intend to raze Kirigakure with massed air-assault. We will use our treaties to request aid from Fire and Konohagakure, and see what we can achieve.

    ¡°Ambassador Hato. We trust you will be able to contact the Fire Daimyo? Ask for troops; explain that we have a confirmed force of between eight and twelve thousand ninja incoming, and that we expect the war to last some years if the initial assault is repulsed. You may offer the majority of seized treasures; we are interested in the land and people, but they will not believe us capable of holding the land. Ensure we have operational command, and can prevent too many excesses from being taken.

    ¡°Consul Daichi. Get troops from Konohagakure. Ichirou, accompany him. Promise that we will forget any actions they may have had a part of; that move was well timed for this situation. Tell them that if they send at least a thousand ninja that you will not be recalled; we expect that the Daimyo will send many of the ninja attached to his forces. Also, you are expected to participate as part of the Custom Pelican Wing; your grandfather reported your Pelican is prepared.

    ¡°Commander Sho. Pass orders to our agents; make it known that we are recruiting samurai, ninja and soldiers, and that service will be rewarded, possibly with titles and land.

    ¡°Very well. You have your orders; get to it. Let us make history. Hato, Daichi, make sure to leave a servant in the communications center to pass messages. Dismissed.¡±

    I turned off the sound transmission from our end. One of the servants assigned to the Consulate settled in.

    ¡°Sachiko. Help me get dressed.¡±

    ========================================This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Soon enough I was dressed and waiting in the Hokage''s tower with a message of the ¡°utmost severity¡± for the Hokage. Within half an hour we were shown in and saw the Hokage with the Jonin Commander, one of the highest ranking officers of the village, present.

    ¡°Hokage-sama. Kazuo-dono sends me with warning that a fleet of eight to twelve thousand ninja is on its way to Uzushiogakure. The fleet left from Lightning country and flies flags from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and appears to be led by Kirigakure naval assets. If left unchallenged, they are expected to arrive in five days; our fleet will make contact in two, and attempt to destroy them, or at least hamper their progress. Kazuo-dono is requesting that Konohagakure provide ninja as per our treaty. Ambassador Hato is making a similar request for troops from the Daimyo for the following conflict, assuming we survive the initial assault.¡±

    I allowed myself to project the frisson of worry that I was feeling (not that the Hokage needed to know it was about how my babies would perform in battle), and the determination for Uzushiogakure to survive. The Hokage''s eyes had gotten wide as he heard of this attack.

    ¡°We received no word of this. How good is the intelligence?¡± the Jonin Commander asked.

    ¡°Impeccable. We have real-time information, using a set of fairly complicated seals.¡± He had no need to know about the aerial assets, one of the ¡°holy grails¡± of the ninja world, especially not before negotiating how many ninja he would be sending. ¡°Chakra-signature scans are indicative of a force of that size, and it is supported by images and the size of their fleet.¡±

    ¡°And under what terms do you request Konohagakure''s ninja?¡± Let the dickering begin.

    ¡°We request Konohagakure¡¯s ninja to reinforce our defenses, so long as the village has not already been razed. We request Konohagakure''s ninja to continue to support our forces, whether deployed within Whirlpool¡¯s territory, at sea, or in operations within Water Country, until the end of this conflict, not to exceed five years. Ninja will draw standard combat pay and spoils as laid out in our original treaty of fellowship, and the initial number may be drawn down at the agreement of both Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure.¡± The Hokage nodded. That had been about what he was expecting.

    ¡°And how many ninja are you requesting?¡±

    ¡°I would like 3,000 combat and infiltration capable ninja, with at most 1,000 being drawn from the combat reserves, and at least 1,000 drawn from the so called ¡°elite¡± forces.¡± At this the Jonin Commander sucked in his breath. That was at least half their active mercenary forces, and a lot of combat capable ninja, especially if it drew them into conflict with Iwa and Kumo at the same time.  An expansion would increase the number of fronts Konohagakure had to fight on, and thus stress their available personnel.

    Before the Jonin Commander could say anything though, I let my eyes flicker away from the Hokage and to him and continued. ¡°So long as there are at least two thousand combat ninja, with at least half coming from the elite forces, drawn proportionally at the levels of jonin and chunin, I have been told that Kazuo-dono will forgive any recent irregularities and suspicions. So long as at least a thousand combat ninja are provided, I will not be recalled.¡±

    I was asking for a load more ninja than I needed to, more ninja than the Hokage would provide unless Danzo had confirmed some sort of involvement with the failed epidemic. Let''s see if he was suspecting such a subtle ploy from an eight year old who just found out that his home was being invaded by what should have been overwhelming force.

    The Hokage thought for a moment before nodding.

    ¡°I will provide twenty eight hundred ninja. Twelve hundred drawn from the elite. Another eight hundred experienced combat veterans from the reserves suitable to ship-board combat and jutsu support for regular military units. Three hundred trained in infiltration. And five hundred that specialize in logistics to help keep them properly supplied. We want Uzushiogakure to know how much we value our positive relations. They will be available for up to five years.¡±

    Translation: Danzo fucked up. And in return we had about a seventh of Konoha''s troops, including over half of their very best, for up to five years. Hell yes. Kazuo-sama would be ecstatic. I knew the Jonin Commander was somewhat puzzled, and needed to organize deployment orders; it was time to leave, and report back.

    ¡°Thank you very much, Hokage-sama. Uzushiogakure is deeply honored and grateful for the depth of Konohagakure''s loyalty, and stands in awe of your Will of Fire.¡± Words were cheap, but I wanted it clear that I valued his contribution, and understood that he''d had nothing to do with the situation. I''d have to deactivate the dead-man''s switch on Project Thor. ¡°I will have Sachiko return immediately with a set of communications seals so your commanders may speak with their counterparts. May I ask when we might expect the first elements of your troops?¡±

    ¡°We will dispatch the first five hundred from the village guard by this afternoon. Would you be willing to give a brief speech and announcement with me, when they depart?¡± he answered after a moment of thought.

    ¡°I would be honored, Hokage-sama.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. I will send one of my ANBU when it is time.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Hokage-sama. I will leave you to your preparations, and report this happy news to Kazuo-dono.¡± I bowed, and left Sarutobi to explain exactly why Konoha needed to send so many of its troops to what seemed to be shaping up to be a serious cluster-fuck.

    Ninja weren''t used to fighting in such a high density, and when they did, casualties tended to be extremely high, with a greater than normal amount occurring in the higher ranks. While a jonin might be able to beat a trio of genin a hundred times in a hundred days, the back to back fighting could drain chakra and result in death.  That was basically every ninja¡¯s nightmare; trapped in a meatgrinder, with no ability to use the subtle skills they spent so long training.

    I sure as fuck wasn''t going to explain that we actually expected to crush the invasion, and then invade ourselves, and thus be using the ninja the way they were meant to be; they''d send far fewer troops. While the terms of Alliance meant we''d be paying the standard pay and death benefits for their ninja, it wasn''t overly generous, and probably wouldn''t have been sufficient to make up for the Village''s deficit if there were large losses among the Konohagakure jonin.

    ¡°Wait until we''re back at the Consulate, Ichirou-san. I need to think a moment.¡± Ichirou nodded in confirmation.

    After a moment¡¯s pause I continued. ¡°Sachiko, as soon as we return, take a stack of personal voice-communication seals. Show the Hokage how to indicate the identity of the user, and get them in communication with Command, then hang about to provide assistance as needed. I suspect I''ll be spending the rest of the time up until the speech, and probably the battle, providing last minute advice about Pelican piloting and listening to the military officers.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Daichi-sama,¡± she replied.

    After we returned to the Consulate and were in the secured communications room, I answered Ichirou''s obvious question while waiting for Kazuo-sama to finish his conversation with the Fleet Admiral.

    ¡°You''re wondering how I managed to get so many ninja assigned to us,¡± I remarked.  ¡°You remember our first meeting here, the tea and Danzo? I wouldn''t have managed so many ninja if it weren''t for guilt. So, Danzo''s involvement in the epidemic is effectively confirmed.¡±

    ¡°Gods. What are we going to do?¡± he asked stunned. He focused on trade, not this sort of thing.

    I smiled bitterly.  ¡°Nothing. They just made reparations for it, after all. Right now we need troops more than righteous anger.¡±

    ¡°Incredible. I understand why I was appointed your deputy.¡±

    ¡°You flatter me, Ichirou-san. You were appointed here for your unparalleled understanding of politics as it relates to trade. Had it not been for this invasion, I would be useless. Anyway, it is time to inform Kazuo-dono,¡± I said as I noticed an attendant directing Kazuo-sama''s attention our way.

    ¡°Kazuo-dono. I have returned from negotiations with the Hokage,¡± I began, as he faced the communicator array.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Konohagakure will provide twenty eight hundred ninja. Twelve hundred drawn from the elite. Another eight hundred experienced combat veterans from the reserves suitable to ship-board combat and jutsu support for regular military units. Three hundred trained in infiltration. And five hundred that specialize in logistics to help keep them properly supplied. They want Uzushiogakure to know how much we value our positive relations. They will be available for up to five years, under standard payment as laid out by the terms for Joint-Operation included in our original alliance agreement. Sachiko, my retainer, is giving them communications seals to get in contact with our commanders right now.¡±

    ¡°So you were correct.¡± It seemed as though Kazuo-sama didn¡¯t know whether he should be pissed off at Konohagakure¡¯s involvement in such an underhanded attack on our home, or happy that the relatively tiny loss of life resulted in thousands of extra top-quality ninja for our upcoming war.

    I nodded in reply.  ¡°It would seem so. For what it''s worth, I truly believe the Hokage innocent. Danzo I suspect was the culprit. But that is behind us now.¡±

    ¡°Quite. Very good job, regardless. That''s at least twice as many ninja as I was expecting. Depending on how your ideas perform during their first large-scale combat test, I will likely have to revisit your rank.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Kazuo-dono, but I am unworthy.¡± He gave a small snort at this.

    ¡°Please, Daichi-san. You are more than worthy, and laid the groundwork for this situation perfectly. I am well pleased with your performance. You too, Ichirou-san.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, my Lord,¡± we replied.

    ¡°I need to continue with our preparations. Was there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, Kazuo-dono. Konohagakure is still unaware of the full capacity of our Pelicans and the Cyclone Seals. They expect to defend the Islands from an assault; I recommend that we tell them we were unsure of the weapons systems, and wanted to err on the side of caution. Following the glorious victory, if your troops do prove successful that is, we decided to end the problem once and for all.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense. Good luck with your preparations.¡±

    ¡°You as well, Lord.¡±

 Chapter 22: Cognomen

    Chapter 22: Cognomen

    That afternoon, I watched as the Hokage gave a masterful performance, layering his Presence through his speech, building the forces up and improving their morale. Then, it was my turn. I stepped out, used a voice-amplification jutsu, and unleashed the full might of my chakra.

    An eight year old was not that impressive, even if they were dressed in an impeccable robe. An eight year old with the chakra of a Kage? That was different. Kages weren''t really human. I wasn''t a kid, not that day. I was minor god of destruction that looked like one. And a visceral level, they knew it.

    I didn''t have the subtlety of the Hokage. Uzushiogakure didn''t have the subtlety of Konohagakure, to be honest. So I showed them what we did have. Raw, naked, beautiful power.

    ¡°People of Konohagakure, I am Uzumaki Daichi, Consul to your great city. I look out on this mighty force assembled, and I feel shame and jealousy.¡± I projected those emotions, and bowed my head a bit, waiting until they just started to become uncomfortable.

    ¡°I am shamed that I cannot join you,¡± I continued, ¡°and jealous that you will get to face the curs that call themselves Kiri, Kumo, Iwa.¡± Now I was projecting disgust and contempt towards those peoples who would face us.

    I let that sink in for a short moment before continuing.

    ¡°Kiri, Kumo and Iwa,¡± I intoned again, raising the level of contempt. ¡°They are not like us. They are not like the prosperous sailors of Wave and Uzushiogakure. They are not like the noble, hardworking citizens of this beautiful Village in the Leaves, burning bright with the Will of Fire. They do not have any great friendship, like that between our great peoples.¡± As I spoke I was projecting pride and love for home.

    ¡°And these dogs are jealous. We all know this, that they are jealous. It is easy to understand; they have much to be jealous of, do they not?¡± I waited for the crowd to roar assent. ¡°But rather than be noble and improve themselves, as we have worked so hard to do, they act like pigs that wish the whole world were filth.¡± I layer in yet more contempt for the enemy.

    ¡°And so they try and attack Uzushiogakure, for being what they are not - for being friends with Konohagakure!¡± I allowed the crowd to erupt into boos. ¡°And in time, if ever they are able, they will attack Konohagakure, and bring war and ruin to you and your families.¡± My voice was softer now, drawing them in. Then, quickly, I ramped up the emotions again, filling the crowd with rage, the urge to destroy these vermin, to wipe them from the earth and salt the land they once had, mixed with that patriotic love for the home and family and country.

    ¡°But, my friends! You will not allow this, will you!¡± A roar of ''NO!''.

    ¡°You will not allow these dogs any victory.¡± I whipped the crowd with energy, action, exultation, feeding the emotions I was feeling back to them.

    ¡°And together, Whirlpool and the Leaf are INVINCIBLE. We will meet them. And. They. Will. BE. DESTROYED!¡± Full of the sensation of inevitable victory, the crowd was in a frenzy, and so I motioned for them to quiet for a moment, using my Presence to enforce it.

    ¡°So, Sons and Daughters of Konohagakure, go with my thanks, my adulation, and yes, even my jealousy,¡± I said as I filled them with the pride I had in Uzushiogakure''s military, my father, keeping my family and people safe.

    ¡°Go, Sons and Daughters of Konohagakure, and EXULT! FOR YOU WILL HAVE A GLORIOUS KILLING! FOR THE HOKAGE! FOR KONOHAGAKURE! FOR THE ALLIANCE!¡±

    Having filled them with a sense of victory and my own satisfaction at a well given speech, I bowed low, like I might to my lord, and held it for almost a minute as their commanders gave orders to get the ninja marching while the rest of the crowd went nuts chanting ¡°The Alliance! The Alliance!¡±  Then I straightened and turned to the Hokage who had partially blocked the noise using a wind jutsu.

    ¡°That was the first speech you''ve ever given, wasn''t it,¡± he half asked, half commented.

    ¡°Was it that apparent, Hokage-sama?¡± I asked, worried that I might have fucked it up. He chuckled and shook his head.

    ¡°No, not at all. You know, one day, you''ll do something ridiculous like this, and I''ll be so used to it I won''t even be surprised.¡±

    I grinned cheekily. ¡°I hope not, Hokage-sama. If I became predictable, I wouldn''t be nearly so interesting. And what is life without some interesting people in it? Boring. I would never wish such a thing on you, Hokage-sama.¡± He laughed a bit at that.

    ¡°I could do with a bit of boredom, occasionally, but perhaps you are right. You know, Daichi, it is a shame you were not born a citizen of Konohagakure. Had you been, I think I would be able to rest easy in the selection of my successor.¡±

    ¡°You flatter me too much, Hokage-sama.¡±

    ¡°No, I don''t think I do,¡± he mused. ¡°But, now to business. I need to continue to organize the rest of the troops, and begin sending them out in companies,¡± he spoke as a gaggle of upper ranked figures arrived.

    ¡°Ah, I will leave you to it, Hokage-sama, with my thanks for your efforts. Goodnight, sir.¡± I bowed, received his nod, and left, deciding to check in with Sachiko before heading back to the Consulate.

    ¡°Ah, Sachiko! How are things going?¡± I asked when I found her at the edge of a room with a number of busy chunin and jonin.

    ¡°Very well, Daichi-sama. Daichi-sama, may I ask you a question?¡± she asked with face that was equal parts serious and worried-puppy.

    ¡°You just did, Sachiko, but yes, you know I''ve told you to ask me and to tell me whatever you want to.¡± I was very interested; this was unusual behavior for the normally quite proper (at least as far as you could tell) Sachiko.

    ¡°Daichi-sama, are you actually human? You''re not a god, right?¡± I burst into laughter. She asked so seriously, so I decided to answer.

    ¡°No, I am a human, Sachiko. At least as far as I am aware, I am simply a person who loves life more than most, and so life loves me more than most. Or perhaps it is the other way around, or a circle that reinforces itself, neh?¡± I replied with a smile to her faint confusion as she parsed my statement.

    I patted her on the back, too short to easily reach her shoulder. ¡°Anyways, Sachiko, don''t work too hard! I need to go back and consult with Hikaru jii-san about my Pelican and preparations for the counter-attack. I trust you''ll come back and get some food and sleep, ok? There was a great King who once said that Hunger and Exhaustion were the Enemy. I expect you to defeat them properly,¡± I ordered mock seriously.

    ¡°Understood, Daichi-sama,¡± she replied, eyes searching my face for some hidden secret.  I just smiled warmly, innocently at her in return. ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight, Sachiko.¡± With that, I left for the Consulate and more preparations.

    ========================================

    The day of the attack dawned bright and clear, with a light wind. Perfect for Pelicans. As it reached around ten am, my Pelican was in position at the holding station about fifty kilometers away from the target.  I was part of the Custom Pelican Wing. Off to the side, I had a video-seal that I was using to look at a surveillance feed from an oversight recon Pelican. I could see both the enemy and allied ships, and another feed of the map showed color-coded markers for all the ships and Pelican Wings in the area.

    Sachiko stood behind me, watching; she still hadn''t qualified on a Pelican, and I told her to remind me about getting that done soon. Ichirou wasn''t even qualified to be present. I had sent one of the servants as a messenger to the Hokage''s officers, and would be sending other reports as updates came in.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    The time felt like it was dragging out forever, and I had the thought that this, today, would likely be the day that I killed my first man. I had tried with Hammer of God, but failed. This time, there would be no failure. I checked the Pelican''s chakra levels again, then used a transmission seal to top it off. It was inefficient, sure, but it at least gave me something to do, and it couldn''t hurt. Right as I finished, I heard a message from Kazuo-sama on the communicator.

    ¡°This is Uzumaki Kazuo, Lord of Whirlpool and Uzushiogakure. Today, we face enemies that would destroy us. Today, we will send them to the hells where they belong, and ensure our safety for generations. Launch the operation, and may the Gods look on with favor.¡± Maybe not that epic, but true words nonetheless.

    A different voice, Hikaru jii-san''s, reminded the Wing not to launch a strike before ordered. He had ended up in command of our Custom Pelican Wing based partially on his victory in the Pelican Tournament (using my air-to-air rounds), his own seniority within the Sealing Department (said department being responsible for all the Custom Pelicans in the wing, and whose members either piloted them themselves or had their retinue members do so), and partially because he had been the original advocate for aerial combat and drones.

    I watched on the tactical map as the four strike Wings of the first wave approached the enemy fleet, then watched on the surveillance feed as the Pelicans opened fire.

    It was amazing.

    It was like watching a computer game, or the destruction of a petulant child''s toys. The ships may as well have been sitting still as dozens of Pelicans strafed them, firing bullets and cannon rounds as they closed. I saw Pelicans dropping the underwater hunter-seekers while sails caught fire, masts collapsed, and people were cut down like wheat before an automatic harvester. I couldn''t even imagine the carnage of what was effectively heavy machine-gun fire on a crowded warship, let alone the transports. It must have been hell though.

    For the most part, the Pelicans were using the standard bullets mixed with elementally infused rounds, and heavy-explosive and cannister shells from the cannon-seals.  All of these chewed through the ships'' hulls like paper and inflicted horrendous casualties.  But every now and then a pilot would be using something a bit more special.

    One of the most visually stunning was a pilot who must have spent a fantastic amount of chakra on Star-burst seals. Somewhat similar to the Dragon''s Breath seals I had made for my first fireworks show, the Star-burst fired off six Dragon''s Breath with 90 degrees between each plume of brutally hot flame, shaped like an octahedron. Not content with that though, the Star-burst seal spun, filling a space forty feet wide with a whirling dervish of fiery destruction. A brutal weapon, but one that was quite beautiful to watch, it was designed to immolate ships and proved its worth.

    Although not having as many cannon rounds equipped as other pilots, the Star-burst Pelican''s pilot managed to catch a group of half a dozen transports and in a display of aerial efficiency, hit each as he passed. I doubt there were any survivors. This was just a small part of the pattern of destruction that enveloped the hundred-odd enemy ships.

    This aerial attack, something that did so much damage, lasted less than a minute.  It was surreal.  As the Pelicans withdrew, some headed for base due to having expended all their ammunition already, I could see the people like ants running about on the ships, trying to put out fires and cut off wreckage to make the ships sea-worthy again. And then a minute later, while all that confusion had just gotten properly underway, I heard the report that the Pelicans were outside of the firing zone. Our Naval Fleet opened fire, and twenty seconds later the rounds began to impact.

    If the Pelicans were destruction on quick wings, the Fleet was a remote rain of death, a miniature Armageddon. Each ship dropped thousands of rounds on the enemy every minute, chewing through hulls and the panicked shield jutsu that most ships presented. And unlike the Pelicans, this fire just did not let up.

    As thirty seconds turned into a minute turned into three and then five, there were only a few ships remaining that weren''t totally destroyed or burning to the waterline. Some few ninja attempted to escape overboard; we could not see the bodies of those underwater, but the ones running would only get a few dozen steps before a hunter-seeker caught them if the storm of bullets failes. The near-total destruction made sense; I estimated that the Fleet had dropped over a million .50 caliber bullets, a fifth of them infused with an element, and at least seventy-five thousand seals of variable payload from the cannon-seals.

    But some very few ships did manage to survive. Here, there was one from Kumo surrounded by a miniature storm strong enough to blow away the testing bursts that kept up the pressure. There, one from Kirigakure surrounded by a massive shield of water. A ship from Iwa was guarded by a phalanx of earthen shields. Another, I think from some vassal-village, had mercifully escaped being targeted as they had cunningly fashioned a smoke-screen with the fumes of its burning brethren. But this, survivors, was not our goal no matter how worthy they had proved themselves in this holocaust. We wanted total destruction, as warning and propaganda.

    And so we loosed our mightiest weapon; the Custom Pelican Wing that had been lavished with attention from our Seal-masters.

    Five Pelicans were assigned to each of the surviving ships. My own group targeted the ship protected by the storm. If there was anything more impressive than the unleashed destruction of an expert Sealer, it was the unleashed destruction of five, all at the same time.

    I''m not sure if it was the combination of awesome firepower, or some sort of seals interaction. I know that I had launched rounds that should have made a vicious firestorm large enough to cover a football field. And that was not what happened. As we five unloaded at that one ship, I noticed flashes from within the storm, and a moment later, a column of water a hundred feet tall exploded out of the sea. What was strangest though, was that it was glowing pink. I asked over the communicators if anyone was taking credit, but no one did, and we chalked it up to mystery.

    As I leveled my Pelican out after the attack run, I glanced over at the surveillance feed to see how the others were faring. Another two targets had already been taken out, and as I watched, the fourth of the remaining ships, protected by the phalanx of Earth-Shields, was hit by a single seal of Hikaru jii-san''s. A weapon he called it the gravity-shear field.

    Basically, it worked by reorganizing the gravity in an area so that all of the gravity would be concentrated into one twentieth the volume as a set of narrow, expanding concentric rings. This meant that the pressure over one area would suddenly spike, pulping internal organs and destroying structures. The stripe-pattern over the water was very distinctive as the ship fell apart and the controlled shields collapsed as the users died.

    The fifth ship though was where things got potentially hairy. The attack seemed easy at first; the lead Pelican launched a spread of shells that actually sealed away large holes out of the watery shield, and then followed it up with a pair of explosives that were strong to launch the water away in a massive shock-wave. What was revealed, though, was not just the expected destruction, but the formation of the Sanbi Jinchuriki''s tailed beast mode, the Three-Tailed Turtle Biju.

    As our Pelicans concentrated fire on it, keeping the Jinchuriki distracted and pained, a trio of Custom Pelicans that would normally be part of the reserve came out. This was a special unit even within the Custom Pelican Wing, designed for anti-Biju and Jinchuriki operations. As they approached, they each launched a projectile that formed a massive system of restraints.

    Then one aimed carefully at the back and launched a seal-breaking seal to remove the Biju from the Jinchuriki''s control. The Jinchuriki fell into the water, and the true Tailed Beast replaced the Tailed Beast Cloak.  The Pelicans withdrew a bit while one equipped with communications seals and loud-speakers went forward.

    After a few minutes of negotiation, the Sanbi consented to being sealed with the package of Biju Protective Seals in return for not attacking Uzushio or Whirlpool ships or coastal settlements. Apparently, it really just wanted to hang about on the bottom of the sea and relax for a century or two, so it wasn''t a difficult deal to make.

    With the battle done and history forever changed, our Pelicans, apart from the patrol for survivors, returned to base. After I activated my Pelican''s reverse-summon array, I sat back and stretched, then turned to Sachiko and grinned.

    ¡°That''s just the type of battle I like Uzushiogakure to be involved in. Total destruction of the enemy, and only some lost equipment on our side. Awesome, wasn''t it?¡±

    ¡°It was.¡± She still seemed a bit stunned, so I decided to ask what she was thinking.

    ¡°Neh, Sachiko-chan, this is a great thing! A great achievement for Uzushiogakure. An enemy has just tried to attack us, and suffered ruin at next to no cost. What are you thinking that has you so contemplative?¡± She seemed to wake up a bit at that, and gave a light shake to her body before grinning faintly.

    ¡°Ah, I was just thinking, master, about what kind of name you''d like for yourself.¡± My only excuse for not understanding what she was getting at is that I was still a bit caught up in our victory, and the idea of what that meant for warfare in this benighted world.

    ¡°What do you mean? I already have a perfectly good name, Uzumaki Daichi.¡± She smiled a bit wider, and even laughed a touch.

    ¡°I meant, Daichi-sama, that you''ll doubtless get some sort of cognomen out of this. After all, you were instrumental in inventing the Cyclone seals and the Pelican, weren''t you? What do you think it will be? The Pelican of Uzushiogakure, maybe?¡± I blanched. Fuck if I would get such a lame name. The Pelican of Uzushiogakure indeed.

    ¡°No way! I refuse. I''ll just say it was all Hikaru jii-san and Kazuo-sama,¡± I pouted. She laughed aloud, a rare thing for her, clear and pretty, and I just looked at her.

    ¡°I''m sorry master, *hahaha*, it''s just, here you are, having just caused what I suspect was the single most unbalanced battle in history, and you''re pouting. It''s just too funny!¡± I had to laugh a bit at that too.

    ¡°That''s alright, Sachiko-chan. And don''t apologize for laughing; you have a very nice laugh. You should always feel free to laugh around me, especially when we''re in private, ok? Especially if I get a lame name like the Pelican. That way at least one of us can enjoy it, and I can at least enjoy your laugh.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Daichi-sama,¡± she dead-panned, holding in her amusement again.

    ¡°Gah. Impossible. I think this is what Hikaru jii-san was telling me about, how women are impossible.¡± Her mask cracked.

    Victory was truly mine that day.

 Chapter 23: Merits of Victory

    Chapter 23: Merits of Victory

    A few minutes later, and I was back in communication with the Whirlpool Council. This time there were many more who were teleconferencing in, mostly because they were in the field or at sea with their men.

    ¡°Excellent job, all of you,¡± Kazuo-sama began the meeting. ¡°This was a historic moment, one where our skills with seals allowed us to defeat a force that might have otherwise destroyed us, and all without a single life lost. Truly, congratulations are in order.¡± He started clapping, immediately followed by everyone else, and continued for about fifteen seconds before stopping.

    ¡°But even out of those that have earned honors from this action, there are some actions that deserve special recognition. The Pelican pilot who used the Star-burst seals to such great effect, and his friend, a genin who faithfully sank a fifth of his chakra into batteries every day for months so that the pilot might power such a weapon for a single battle. The Sealing Department Members who supplied not just the general designs for the seals we used, but also the Custom Pelicans that were capable of defeating those that had held strong through the storm of our fury, and even vanquish a Jinchuriki in full Bijuu mode. The groups within the Sealing Department that developed first the Cyclone prototypes and then the Pelican prototypes. But even of these that deserve special recognition, there is one who stands out. Uzumaki Daichi, please stand.¡± Oh fuck. No! Why. I hated that sort of shit, everyone was looking at me. Look at me when I''m, I don''t know, fifteen and not a fucking midget child anymore, ok? Too much to ask? Apparently.

    I stood, as EVERYONE looked at my screen.

    ¡°I present Uzumaki Daichi the Seal-Hawk, who came up with the original idea for both the Cyclone seals and the Pelican. He is currently serving as the Consul to Konohagakure, and has just succeeded in getting their Hokage to commit two thousand eight hundred ninja to the counter-attack. A fine young man who exemplifies the qualities that we value in Whirlpool, and who would likely beg off of all this attention if he could. But, just as it is a citizen and vassal''s duty to do their utmost for their home, it is a leader and lord''s duty to reward those who are most effective. Uzumaki Daichi Fuutaka, Junior Baron Courtier of the Fifth Rank, is hereby promoted to Baron of the Fourth Rank and given Right-of-Access, with suitable income for his position from our treasury and a priority choice of the lands to be assigned after the war for his fief.¡±

    Fuck¡­ well. It looked like the girls at the academy would be chasing me even harder. At least my name wasn''t fucking Pelican. Fuutaka, literally ¡°Seal-Hawk¡±, wasn''t bad. And a priority choice of lands could be pretty damned valuable, especially if I made a little cabal with Tou-san and a few of his friends who were also likely to earn smaller fiefs of their own.  I understood why Kazuo-sama did it, of course; it wasn¡¯t exactly single-handed, but I was a significant part of our victory.  Getting a thousand more ninja from Konoha than even the more optimistic estimates would massively reduce Uzushio¡¯s casualties and increase our gains.  And I was quite in favor with the Uzumaki leadership, especially within Kazuo-sama¡¯s faction and the sealers.

    It made sense that I would be heaped with riches and honors.  That said, it also meant I had to get a load more retainers and some subordinate samurai from somewhere, and find someone to manage my interests since I''d be in Konoha for the foreseeable future. Maybe Tou-san wouldn''t mind being my new second in command? Oh god, Ojii-sama was likely to gift me more retainers, especially now that I was a full-on Baron, rather than a Courtier.

    The Right of Access part was pretty cool. It basically meant I had the right to decide that whatever it was that I wanted to talk about was important enough that Kazuo-sama would have to hear me, right then. If I thought it necessary, I could interrupt him when he was mid sleep, or even not sleeping with his wife or mistresses. Oh, I surely wouldn''t for anything less than an apocalypse, but still, it was pretty a pretty cool right to be assigned, and a massive indication of honor. There were much higher lords without that right; it wasn''t something that could be inherited, but had to be earned, so it was always a mark of high favor.

    Other than that, Kazuo-sama started getting everyone organized to receive Konohagakure and Land of Fire troops, began the round-up of the ships that were normally merchantmen to transport our invasion, organized who would be in charge of making sure there was sufficient surveillance, and made sure that everyone was giving chakra to the village stores to increase ammunition supplies along with all the other details of a successful invasion. Mercifully, I didn''t have to deal with that bureaucracy, as I was instructed to take a series of images from the battle spaced one minute apart, and report our victory to the Hokage.

    I was authorized for the most basic level of information release on the Cyclone and Pelican systems, to wit that they existed, Cyclones had a range of at least twenty kilometers, and Pelicans were a flying weapon system; this was considered terrifying enough, even though it only described a fraction of our weapons¡¯ true capabilities.  Honestly, Konoha¡¯s leadership wasn¡¯t really equipped to even comprehend how game-changing our new capabilities were, and if they had might have been driven to panic.  Just what we had already demonstrated was enough to change the balance of power between our nations; Uzushio was certainly no longer the junior partner in our alliance.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    I was already in my regalia, so it wasn''t that hard to get ready; I just had to change out my device so that the new border would indicate my improved rank, and I was off with Sachiko at my should and the official scroll in hand. When I arrived at the Hokage''s Tower and was directed to him, I came into a beehive. Mobilizing twenty-eight hundred ninja for a forced march to defend against an imminent invasion took a lot of organization; who would have guessed?

    I got directions to the Hokage, and decided to go with the super-formal route of having Sachiko announce me.

    ¡°I present Whirlpool''s Consul to Konohagakure, Baron of the Fourth Rank, Uzumaki Daichi Fuutaka!¡± Saichiko said in a firm and loud voice, then took one step to the side and bowed. Heads were turning our way, and I noticed we had the Hokage''s attention.

    ¡°Hokage-sama, I bear tidings of the battle of West Kaizoku Sea as instructed by my Lord, Uzumaki Kazuo-dono!¡± For the sake of the moment''s drama, I ceremoniously unrolled the scroll, even though I had written it and memorized the contents.

    ¡°Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen-sama, greetings and salutations. This messenger bears glad tidings of victory. At Four Hours Past Dawn this day, Whirlpool forces engaged the forces of Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure and associated vassals in the region of the Kaizoku sea two hundred miles East-North-East of Wave.

    ¡°At half past the Fourth Hour, the battle was concluded. Enemy losses were total, and include a final count of one hundred and eight ships, with a final estimate of ten thousand ninja and four thousand assorted sailors and crew. Kirigakure''s Jinchuriki, the holder of the Sanbi, fell in battle. There were no found or suspected survivors, and patrols remain in the area to ensure that any remaining enemy are destroyed. Allied casualties include two injuries taken in regular operation of our Naval vessels en route to where the battle occurred. There were no allied deaths during this operation.

    ¡°Included in this missive are images of the battle taken every minute, and Uzumaki Daichi Fuutaka, my Consul and vassal-Baron of the Fourth Rank, has been instructed to give a basic briefing of how this was accomplished.

    ¡°I give my best wishes for your continued health and prosperity, and look forward to the fruits of our alliance. We shall be in contact. Signed by the hand of the Daimyo of Whirlpool, Lord of Uzushiogakure, Clan Head of the Uzumaki, Uzumaki Kazuo.¡±

    There was a deafening silence as I handed the scroll and images to the Hokage. Soon enough a grizzled Jonin Captain broke it.

    ¡°Is this some sort of joke? How the hell do you kill ten thousand men without any losses?¡± The Hokage replied before I could demonstrate any ruffled feathers; the guy wasn''t Danzo though, so I''d have given him the benefit of the doubt.

    ¡°Ah, I''ve found that it''s typically best to be believe what Daichi-san tells you, and just be surprised at the reality. And may I congratulate you on your elevation.¡± A nice little sop to my pride; it was nice to know he cared!

    ¡°Thank you, Hokage-sama. As to how we achieved this, the enemy never actually saw a single one of our troops. We used two new weapons created using seals. The first, the Cyclone Seals, are capable of delivering projectiles, including weaponized seals, at high speed and rate of fire over a long distance, at least twenty kilometers. The second, the Pelican, is a flying puppet remotely controlled through seals. It too mounts Cyclone Seals. We used real-time surveillance seals and our weapons to destroy the enemy from a range of twenty kilometers, and continued bombardment until all enemy assets were destroyed. The images show the progression of the battle.¡±

    The room erupted into whispers and discussion as to what this meant, both for warfare as a whole and for the conflict with Iwa, Kumo and Kiri. The Hokage motioned me closer, so we could speak a bit more privately, though with ninja everyone would be listening anyways.

    ¡°I assume you will want them to answer for this situation?¡±

    ¡°I cannot claim to speak for Kazuo-dono, as I have no orders in this situation, but my belief is that we will force Lightning and Earth to pull back their ninja and pay reparations under threat of naval action and aerial raids respectively. As for Mist and Water Country, I believe that Kazuo-dono will wish to make an example of them. The Fire Daimyo has generously made available three legions, and enough auxiliaries and lesser sized units to make up a fourth, as well as some naval forces primarily focused in transports.

    ¡°With his twenty thousand men, the twenty-eight hundred from Konohagakure, three legions from Whirlpool, our naval and aerial support and whatever mercenaries and opportunists we can scrape together, we have a force of about forty thousand soldiers and five thousand ninja. Mist can at its maximum marshal twelve thousand ninja, many not capable of combat at the level needed, and a hundred thousand soldiers, half of whom will be militia; these men must be split between the various islands. With our ability to conduct long range naval bombardment, and use aerial reconnaissance and strikes, as well as Water''s inability to reinforce their islands when our ships are present, I believe we can conquer them without too many difficulties. The fact that Water and Mist have always treated their citizens poorly will make them less resistant to conversion, and reduce the time before the territories are productive and integrated into Whirlpool.¡±

    ¡°An astute analysis. It matches with what I understand from the situation. And what if Lightning or Earth are unreasonable?¡±

    ¡°A demonstration that we can attack their palaces. And if that fails, their factories, barracks, and other military targets may be attacked from impunity by air. If they really want to push matters, well, we''ll see. They should hope it does not come to that. We Uzumaki take attempts to destroy our home very personally, and there are many things that the sealing department considers too horrific for normal situations that might be used.¡±

    ¡°Quite. Please relay my thanks to Kazuo-dono for the information. We will remain in contact with your commanders, and our troops will continue to arrive over the next two weeks. Now, you should go celebrate your new station,¡± he said with a kind smile, then paused a moment as I grimaced at the reminder.

    ¡°Not that happy?¡±

    ¡°It''s not that. It is a great honor. It''s just, this will only mean more work. And Ojii-sama is sure to give me more retainers,¡± I grouched. He laughed at my reply, shaking his head.

    ¡°I''m not sure whether I should be relieved or afraid that you aren''t interested in rule.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Both? That''s normally my answer to either/or questions like that.¡±

    ¡°I will take that under advisement. Have a good day.¡±

    ¡°You too, Hokage-sama.¡±

    I bowed and left.

 Chapter 24: Academys End

    Chapter 24: Academy¡¯s End

    And so it came to be that while I whiled away my time at the Academy, Whirlpool and the Land of Fire fought a war of conquest in Water Country. For the most part, it did not impact me. Tou-san, who had consented to become my first vassal (and how weird was that), had command of the efforts on one of the smaller islands with heavy ore deposits. The island also included a nice, protected harbor with a small town. I selected it, and much of the surroundings, as my fief; Tou-san ensured that the area was pacified with minimum damage to the civilians and infrastructure.

    The war progressed very quickly, especially initially. A leaflet campaign promising quarter and safety for those that swore fealty to Whirlpool or were ninja willing to transfer allegiance to either Whirlpool or Konoha proved quite effective. After their Mizukage was located by a Konohagakure recon team and killed in an air-strike, the Mist ninja were about evenly split between those that changed sides, those that stayed out of it, and those that fought a semi-futile guerrilla campaign.

    The main military battles went even better. Blocks of militia and infantry armed with spears and bows were no match for our aerial assaults or units of Uzushio Guards deployed with Cyclone-gun systems. The DEWS became quite widespread within Uzushio''s forces, and was apparently highly feared as the ¡°invisible fire¡±. I laughed a bit at that.

    So, while there was resistance, and tensions were high, for the most part things were shaping out as a massive success. The Fire Daimyo''s troops and Konoha forces could and were drawn down a bit. The biggest problems actually came from a coalition of pirates and pirate-ninja whom Kirigakure had allowed to operate with semi-impunity. The reason why? Because the pirates would attack shipping, which would then be forced to deal with Kirigakure for protection and retaliation. Kirigakure could get a mission to wipe out a pirate village, warn them to move, then burn an empty village to the ground for a hefty price.

    Whirlpool, who was on the other side of the pirate/merchant equation were not so generous towards the scum. In the greatest single failure of Uzushio troops in the war, they executed an ingenious trap for an escort frigate, and would have captured it if the captain had not activated the self-destruct. Following that there was a concentrated effort to wipe the pirates out, burning out half a dozen of their villages in a simultaneous assault and crucifying many of the captives.

    I gave advice remotely as well as providing some larger seal-works. I had advised a focus on psy-ops and getting the population to turn in our favor.  I also used a large portion of my wealth from sealing and elevated position to recruit skilled workers from other locations who were willing to swear fealty and migrate into our zone of administration. More militarily, we recruited heavily out of the better ronin samurai and ninja, and offered top-quality seal-enhanced gear that I prepared as rewards for service. Tou-san earned a land-grant and more minor title, as did many of his lieutenants and our new vassals, most of whom had sworn to Tou-san as my stand-in until I could arrive.

    Ojii-sama did in fact send me more retainers. This time he sent me five; Sachiko''s Aunt and Uncle, as well as their three kids. Of their kids, all were boys. Two were older, eighteen and sixteen respectively. The eighteen-year-old had a good level of ninja training, and was well suited for the mix of forest-fighting and amphibious combat that Tou-san was participating in; I sent him to be Tou-san''s assistant and receive more training in jutsu and sword fighting. The sixteen-year-old was qualified as an Adept sealer; I was tempted to keep him, but decided that I needed someone I could have run errands in Uzushiogakure. Plus, I had no real idea as to how to train him, so I got Hikaru jii-san to agree to take that task on in return for the boy¡¯s assistance.

    That left me with the youngest, a twelve-year-old boy called Hisakawa Yasu. He was trained as a chakra-sensor and tracker, and filled out his skills with stealth and close-quarters combat. I decided to take him for myself, and have him as the third member of our eventual squad. As for Auntie and Uncle, as I came to call them, the Consulate needed more staff with the war on and the closer relationship between our countries, and I needed more trustworthy backup. They were also both highly skilled in the stealthy and subtle techniques that I had never learned, and backed up the Academy''s instruction in things like genjutsu and poisons with afterhours tutoring. It also did wonders for my homesickness to have people who were from Uzushiogakure, and I loved hearing stories about a grandfather who had always seemed so restrained and distant.

    Other than as I''ve described though, and my occasional ceremonial presence at a war memorial or the funeral of a particularly important person, the war didn''t really effect me.

    Though I should mention that there was one funeral I was glad to attend: Danzo''s.  Apparently, he had been in-country trying to get a Water-country clan that had mostly steered clear of the fighting to defect to Konoha. They demanded a senior figure to negotiate with, and I guess that their bloodline was one Danzo wanted. He was in the compound when the local Whirlpool area commander ordered an aerial razing, and Danzo died in a tragic friendly fire incident. His body was found half-crushed by fallen stone, and had some fairly heavy burns over his torso. He died a few minutes after the inspection team checked the area over to confirm the strike''s effectiveness.

    I have no idea what level of involvement we may or may not have had; hell, elements within Konohagakure could have arranged it (the man had enough enemies, after all), or, for all I knew, it was a legitimate accident (which would be hilarious). I suspected, actually, that the strike was ordered by someone trying to get more of the ninja clans to join Whirlpool; it was a kind of ¡°if you don''t join, and soon, you never know what kind of accident there might be.¡±

    I almost couldn''t go to the funeral because I couldn''t stop smiling at the news, but managed to put up with it to look at the corpse myself.  After all, I wanted to make sure the fucker was dead.

    ========================================

    For the most part though, while I was at the Academy I raised my secondary skills to at least acceptable levels. They didn''t need to be the focus of my combat style, but I refused to have any glaring weaknesses.

    A big part of not having weaknesses was genjutsu training. For a long time, I had basically depended on my innate resistance to genjutsu due to my prodigious chakra and constant high-level internal chakra flow techniques. The problem was, other than that, I had no defenses. So, I took the entire genjutsu course through the academy. Introduction to Illusions, Advanced Illusion Resistance, Advanced Illusion Detection and Dispelling, Advanced Genjutsu Techniques and Special Focus- Genjutsu.

    It turned out that I had certain advantages and disadvantages, namely a large supply of ridiculously dense spiritual chakra. As an advantage, once I learned the actual techniques to preventing illusions from taking hold, and how to notice and dispel any that did, I became notoriously resistant to genjutsu. The instructor brought in a pair of specialists at the end to show us how far we had to go, one of the villages best from each of the Uchiha and the Kurama clans. I ended up resisting even a direct eye-to-eye with the Sharingan, so I was pretty stoked. It became something of a challenge for these specialists to test their genjutsu on me, and every few weeks we''d get together and they''d test their techniques.

    As for casting genjutsu myself, well, the results were mixed. I was actually quite good at putting people into genjutsu, but mine tended to hit with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer rather than the gentle backdoor entry into the mind that it should have been. Because of the density and volume of my spiritual chakra, unless I took a long time to dilute it (by which point my standard control was pretty shaky since it was so comparatively unfamiliar to me) then whenever I injected my chakra into someone to hack their senses it turned out more like a carjacking.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Sure, I might have them, but only a small part of genjutsu are for direct combat. They''re much more useful for stealth or subtle mental manipulation. Whenever I tried to use those techniques it was like being an invisible man with a huge blinking neon sign saying ¡°Invisible Man Here! Right Here!!¡± pointing at me.  Not exactly subtle.

    On the other hand, if you needed to terrify an enemy force, I was your man. After the whole ¡°Presence of Death¡± incident had made the rounds, my instructor thought it might be best if I practiced on a criminal rather than another student. This proved to be a good move. I used the basic ¡°Hell Viewing¡± technique, and tried not to overcharge it too much. The prisoner, a low ranking foreign missing nin up to criminal shit in the Land of Fire, screamed for three hours under a genjutsu that normally fell apart after at most a half hour.

    Eventually, one of the guards accompanying us tried to dispel the illusion, but couldn''t. A few other people tried with similar effects. Then I tried, and couldn''t dispel my own illusion. It turned out that I had effectively poisoned his chakra, and I couldn''t manage to filter out all of mine and allow his to restore itself.

    The prisoner was put out of his misery, and I was advised not to use genjutsu on allies, ever. It was a bit disheartening to be honest; our seduction and counter-seduction instructor had taught us about a genjutsu you could use during sex to make things more intense, and I had been looking forward to getting to try it after my interest in sex returned with the puberty fairy.

    Over all that study I developed a personal genjutsu/ninjutsu attack.  It worked by combining principles of my Chains, genjutsu, and mental reinforcement. I called it the ¡°Mind-Flay¡± technique. It was about as friendly as that sounds. Basically, I¡¯d launch a lance of spiritual chakra that travelled through the enemy¡¯s system like a genjutsu, then catastrophically reinforced the brain, giving the target brain-death.

    It didn''t need a hand-sign, though that could help with focus, and was fucking fast since Yin chakra is very quick regardless of density. On the other hand, because I didn''t have the Yang-combination, it was a launched rather than guided jutsu, so it became less effective with range. The cool thing about it was that it avoided most defensive techniques, even a lot of those based on chakra powered shield techniques and would smash through most genjutsu defenses like a wrecking-ball through tissue paper.

    It was a fairly terrifying assassination technique, and far more lethal than other genjutsu-focused students¡¯ personal projects who tended to go for very personalized seduction/charisma techniques for political or spying purposes. I wasn¡¯t sure our teacher really approved of my methodology, but she recognized I had few other options given my limitations with the actual subtle parts of genjutsu - itself the ninja art that focused on subtlety.  Incidentally, those genjutsu classes were some of the only ones where I wasn¡¯t within the top three of the class.

    Those were the highlights of my academy experience. Of course, I learned dozens of other things. To put it in perspective, the CIA used something called ¡®the Clandestine Service Trainee Program¡¯ back on Earth to train paramilitary officers.  Those are the scary guys that you see in movies, rather than the analysts who actually make up the majority of the organization.  That program lasted eighteen months. Granted, they typically recruited people with prior military training and experience, and the training was full time. That said, the Academy went pretty hard (chakra helps with recovery and endurance), especially given the age constraints, and I was training in my off time. I had four years to pick up all the secondary skills, since my main combat skills were already established. I had fun with it, and I learned a lot.

    I studied covert infiltration, which included both chakra and chakra-less techniques to climb buildings and break into them, as well as aggressive infiltration, which included breaking and entering techniques. In my Document Retrieval section, we learned how to crack through the mechanical and chakra mechanisms that protected safes. I learned how to play cards and gamble correctly, and cheat at the same. I was taught how to pickpocket and spot the local criminals and fences in the Urban Survival course, as well as how to hide tools and spoils on my body even during a pat-down.

    I tried out the chakra healing course, but failed out when I found that it was basically impossible for me to strip my identity from my chakra; I still had my medical seals though, so that was something. I learned how to survive in any wilderness from arctic to equatorial desert, and how to track, trap and prepare a wide variety of foods. Then I was taught how to track someone who''s at least a little sneaky in those environments, how to trap them even without seals, and how to be sneaky and spot traps myself.

    I learned how to better read body language, and how to have my body language give what messages I wanted in my Interpersonal Skills class.  I improved those skills in my Advanced Seduction Techniques class, which also taught some pretty extensive massage; I even got an offer for personal instruction in acupuncture from the female instructor when I was a bit older (pretty sure that was a throwaway seduction attempt on Konoha¡¯s part, though I was equally sure we''d both enjoy it).

    I tried out the Covert Identities class, and was told that as long as I was playing myself, I''d be alright but to never try and pretend to be someone else; it was just embarrassing. I learned how to make improvised weapons in a variety of settings, and what common household objects could take the most damage.

    I learned at least the basics of the Konohagakure General Unarmed Style. It was a bit like krav-maga, but focused even more on simple, direct motions executed with a maximum of violence and action. I picked up a bit about how to fight with knives, and more on how to fight with kunai. I was taught to throw kunai and shuriken, more because it was a graduation requirement than that I ever expected to need it, then added a class on how to throw coins, nails, and other improvised objects because why not? That said, I was eleven; at eleven, who doesn''t love throwing around sharp spiky stars of ninja-awesome? So, it wasn''t much of an imposition.

    In a trio of classes on toxins, I was educated about the poisons, whether synthetic, natural (plant or animal), or enhanced-natural recipes that I could use to make things like shuriken actually useful, and was given instruction on how to combine poisons with water jutsu to boot.

    I knew that I''d likely never use a tenth of what I so carefully memorized, but it still might come in handy (whether in that life or the next), and moreover, it was all pretty damned cool. I did improve in more useful ways too.

    I sparred with the advanced sword students when I could be bothered, and wrecked a training field once for a jutsu demonstration. I improved my control over my chains, my skill with the Whirlpool-Fist and Sword, and continued to make sure that Sachiko and Yasu were progressing well under the Academy''s training as well as what they were getting from Auntie and Uncle. I forced Yasu to learn a few combat jutsu, and continued Sachiko''s instruction in Water-techniques started by Tou-san. I made sure to continue training with my seals, and thought I might hit the seventh level of intuition pretty soon.

    My chakra sensing continued to improve in range and resolution. But most of all I focused on my body; my biggest limitation was speed, followed by strength, and over those four years I fixed that weakness. I checked on the still sleeping Kyubi, and released chakra that I had cleaned of hostile intent into the environment daily. I continued to improve my chakra density and volume, though my channels were starting to show the restriction in growth indicative of the onset of puberty, and made sure that my control didn''t decrease due to the influence of the Kyubi''s chakra introduced by the seal.

    So, all in all, I had a great four years. There were some negatives. I missed my family something fierce, even though I had weekly video-conferences. Kaa-san had given birth to younger sibling I''d never seen in person two years into my stay after one of Tou-san''s visits back from the front. My Uzumaki Fuutaka family compound was a building in a country I''d never been to. I missed the sea air and shores of our island too. But I put those things out of my mind, as much as I could, and continued to take everything I could from life.

    I may not have been as focused as might have been optimal, or driven myself as hard as I could like I did in preparation for Kyubi''s sealing, but when I stood on the parade ground with the other graduates wearing both my Uzushio and Konoha hitai-ates, I was comfortable in the fact that my retainers could match jonin and that I was the superior of any of the ¡°young geniuses¡± like, for example, Namikaze Minato who had himself just been promoted to Jonin.

    I knew my time at the Academy had been well spent. And there was only really one more event to qualify me as a real ninja; my first personal kill.

 Chapter 25: Interlude 3: The Barracuda

    Chapter 25: Interlude 3: The Barracuda

    I had a fearsome reputation, one earned with pain and blood and corpses. ¡°The Barracuda,¡± they called me, for my size and viciousness and my summoning animal. I may not have been one of the Seven Swordsmen, mostly because of my focus on jutsu, but as a veteran and Jonin Captain I was just as feared.

    But while my size, and power, and viciousness may have made me famous, it was my intelligence that brought me victory. I would use my barracudas to scout enemy ships, plan meticulously and use every advantage I could.

    Of all things, I most hated going into a situation without knowledge. I''d rather incompetent subordinates, untrustworthy allies and bad weather at sea than to be entering into a situation I knew nothing about. And right then, as I led the Kirigakure Sixth Assault Company in an invasion of Uzushiogakure from the deck of my ship, the Red Maw, I was full of hatred.

    Two years ago, we knew what was happening with Uzushio, knew the strength of their men and navy. But then more and more of our raids didn''t come back. After a few months, there was a survivor, a chunin who reported, injured, to the Mizukage about weapons ¡°tearing apart our men with the same ease they tore apart the air, accompanied by the sound of thunder.¡±

    The Mizukage had him executed for cowardice, but the tale spread. One year ago, I heard whispers that we tried some asinine plan to spread a plague. Uzushio and Wave went into quarantine for a while, and we received reports that Senju Tsunade was spotted traveling there, but we didn''t even hear rumors of the mass casualties you''d expect from those Plaguebearer bastards.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    And now that fucking bastard the Mizukage decided it was the ¡°best possible time to attack¡±. That we would ¡°destroy those Uzumaki shits once and for all!¡± Gods, how I wished we didn''t decide everything based on strength in this fucking world. Maybe then, my ass-hat of a brother wouldn''t have become Mizukage.

    But that is not the case in this bloody, stinking, introduction-to-hell that we call life. And so there we were. Part of the greatest invasion fleet ever, certainly the largest fleet of ninja. All Seven of the Seven Swordsmen, and a hundred other names that evoked fear and terror. And all I could do was worry, worry about what we didn''t know. Because if there''s one thing I learned, what you don''t know does kill you.

    Just as I was about to order the sails taken in a bit, I started hearing a thunderous ripping sound and explosions and screams behind us on the starboard side. Looking back, I saw destruction raining down, approaching over the water like the leading edge of raindrops in a storm. Masts falling, sails afire, ships floundering. The screams of men started to reach me, and I screamed out too.

    ¡°All water jutsu users, on my mark, shield. Ready! MARK!¡± I cast out my strongest shield too, and screamed at a nearby genin to go get that bastard Jinchuriki. Maybe I''d be thanking my brother for saddling me with the little psycho after all. Moments later, they returned at a run.

    ¡°Get a shield up. Strong as you can or we''re fucked!¡± I shouted while seeing the armada, the largest gathering of warships I''d ever seen, just sodding collapse through the gaps in our shield techniques.

    Thankfully that prick of a Jinchuriki obeyed without his usual whining or lip, and in an unbelievably potent flare of chakra our ship was encased in a sea-blue dome. I could still see the impact as whatever the hell those Uzushio whore-sons were using impacted, but at least it wasn¡¯t hitting me or my men. Every now and then the shield buckled in with the echo of an explosion, and the Jinchuriki''s face wass growing more and more strained with the weight of the shield jutsu.

    Minutes that felt like an eternity passed, and eventually the rain ended. Just as I began to relax, massive holes appeared in the shield, and I had a moment for my last thought: ''I hope my brother''s fucking happy now, that idiot.''

 Chapter 26: State of Affairs

    Chapter 26: State of Affairs

    Following graduation, as potential Elite Genin we had a week off before being assigned a team and Jonin Instructor. I already knew my team ¨C myself, Sachiko and Yatsu ¨C but had no idea about our sensei. Apart from our group training, I took the time to catch up on some of my sealing work and the paperwork that came with being Lord of Seal-Hawk Harbor.

    I know, the name is just¡­ Well, Kaa-san picked it, and had Tou-san apply it, and then I couldn''t change peoples'' minds. Kaa-san asked if I didn''t like it with a pout, and¡­ I was a good son. That was it.

    The sealing work in this instance was a set of two dozen seal-enhanced swords for samurai and ninja Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), and a set of a half-dozen transferable DEWS and HUD seals for my officers in what was shaping up to be a fairly decent private army. The DEWS and HUD seals were a bit of a pain; since they weren''t legally distributable to forces outside of Uzushiogakure''s own, I couldn''t just have Hikaru jii-san run off the copies from the Sealing Department printers in exchange for a chunk of chakra batteries. But since the seals weren''t as classified as, say, the Cyclone Magazine production methods, Hikaru jii-san and I, as the inventors, were allowed to do the sealing work ourselves (so long as we included the requisite security seals too).

    The problem though is we had to do all of the work ourselves; this included actually applying the seal to the body, unless the seal was self-applying. Since neither of us were on Hawk''s Haven (the island''s name¡­ apparently Tou-san was getting on with Ojii-sama again, and this was part of it), that meant that I had to make self-applying seals which took a bit more work.

    Funnily enough, the swords were actually much more difficult to make than the DEWS. They were based off of my own swords, Red Night''s Sky and Morning''s Storm, but I had needed to figure out a way of getting similar elemental-technique enhancing performance without chakra-conductive metal. Chakra-metal was extremely expensive and the kind of thing used by high ranking Samurai or the top of the elite ninja who could afford it.

    I''d spent a few months of spare time hanging out with one of the better, and more creative, smiths in Konoha. Eventually, after a lot of ruined steel (that I paid for), we figured out a way to use seals to set up an elemental chakra imbuing field for the steel as it was worked. Then, different seals were applied to the Tang after it was worked to keep the elemental chakra in place, and to help channel more chakra that was added by the eventual user. The end result was a sword capable of enhancing elemental chakra channeled through it, or providing a low-level of chakra conversion for neutral chakra flowed through the blade, much in the same way that natural chakra metal did.

    It was about sixty percent as good as my own blades, but brought the price down from ¡°something only a wealthy Lord could afford¡± to ¡°something a Lord''s personal guards, or generally elite units might be equipped with¡±. Also worth bearing in mind was that my own swords were not just chakra metal but seal-enhanced chakra metal. Although my skills were still nowhere near whoever had made my swords, the swords we were producing were likewise seal-enhanced, unlike most chakra metal blades which didn''t have that kind of elemental seal-work built in. Most swords didn''t have any seal-work built in, as writing seals in metal was a fairly specialized skill and most Uzumaki sealers stayed in Uzushio.  And that meant that my swords had further improved chakra channeling, if only for a single elemental type.

    For a fairly significant additional price, we could take a vial of someone''s chakra imbued blood and work that into the metal along with another seal, and improve performance for that person; it would typically bring the performance up to about eighty percent of my own blades. As a bonus, it basically ensured repeat business over time, as the blade would need to be re-attuned to each user.

    Another popular option was to have the sword be turned into an inanimate summon contract. For a heftier fee, we''d even package an auto-attunement in with the summon contract, but then the summoning tattoos would ensure repeat business. It was difficult ¨C and thus expensive ¨C enough though that it brought the price back to ¡°wealthy Lord¡± range.

    We were working on changing the process so that we could attune a blade to two types of chakra at once at the request of a number of bloodline clans, but had not made significant strides. Then of course there was the even harder problem of channeling say, ice chakra as opposed to ¡°merely¡± being able to channel either wind or water; it was a work in progress.

    A much higher priority for me was to figure out a semi-automatic process to apply the seals; once I did that, I planned on setting up a manufacturing center in my town. Making a regular seal-making seal could be pretty difficult; this was horrendous.

    In the regular process, you took a seal, for sake of argument an explosive seal. Then you wrote a seal that was programmed to apply the correct levels of chakra in the right shape and with the right timing to create the explosive seal you wanted. By feeding the seal-writer chakra through a battery, and providing stores of paper and ink (or using a more advanced array capable of chakra-scribing), it could print out seals.

    This got more complicated if you wanted to seal something onto a physical surface that wasn''t flat, like armor. The positioning was frequently important, and the seal-path needed to be described in three dimensional rather than two dimensional space. It got much more complicated when the seal interacted with the base material. In the case of the seal-swords, they effectively had an inorganic chakra system due to the infusions during the smithing process. But, the material properties (iron, carbon, how hard it was hit, random chance) influenced the chakra density and flow-lines, which impacted the seal''s orientation and positioning, and even the size of some of the individual symbols.

    That meant that the seal-printer had to not only be able to write out the seals (some of which were quite complicated) and do so into metal (which was a complication in and of itself), but the seal-printer also had to ¡°scan¡± the sword and then run calculations to write the seal.  This was further complicated by the fact that many of these calculations were ones I (and other Uzumaki sealers) did intuitively, so I had to figure out a whole load of advanced but highly specific sealing theory pretty much from scratch.

    I was glad I had taken computer-programming once upon a time, and had some experience with automating manufacturing processes using CAD-controlled lathes and mills. That brought the project down from ¡°practically impossible¡± to ¡°just really ridiculously difficult¡±.  But that¡¯s why it was a fun project.

    As a note, many seals, especially at high levels, included a ninjutsu input that defined field of effect, intensity, etc, so being able to write the seal was only part of it.  Sort of like a telephone; the phone makes the call, but the user tells it which number.  Also, as people got better at writing seals, they gained a feel for how all sorts of weird things would affect the seal''s efficiency, and learned to compensate.

    While it wasn¡¯t as important for bulk basic explosive notes, which were basically the lowest level of applied seals, for something like a sword it was similar in effect to the difference between mass-produced swords or those made by a master. The chakra balance would be a bit worse, it wouldn''t feel quite as ¡°sharp¡± or precise, that kind of thing.  Still, quantity had a quality all of its own, and a functional factory would mean a new revenue stream for me and my people.  More importantly, I would finally be able to stop making swords as my forces grew.

    I had given the general sword-making process over to Uzushio''s Sealing Department, and it had already become a major earner even though I only got a tithe; the demand wasn''t even close to being met. I figured I was about a month away from being done with at least a functional prototype of the automatic-sealer seal, at which point I''d really start raking it in. And once the market reached saturation, I could drop price so that lower-than-elite but still high-quality units could be equipped, then maybe even regular units.

    Outside of Whirlpool, everyone''s forces still depended on steel; I planned to become the premier weapons supplier.

    As an added benefit, the new techniques would, eventually, lead to better laser weapons and a major next step in developing DEWS. Metal could tolerate much larger heat and radiant chakra damage (both caused by very high chakra-flows) than other materials, and so I hoped that with proper development and improvement of metal-sealing techniques I''d finally be able to bring the power and rate of fire high enough to make it more than a personal weapon.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Those were the applied sealing projects I focused on; on a more cerebral level, I was interested in what kinds of materials I could make by combining my scientific knowledge and chakra manipulation.  But even for that, those sealing projects were a great first step.

    ========================================

    Gaining Uncle and Auntie and Yasu hadn''t changed anything about Sachiko being my chief assistant (shadow, minion, best-friend ¨C she was a multi-role retainer), and so it was part of her duties to have everything organized for my quarterly intelligence review video-conference with Tou-san.

    The intelligence review was pretty interesting. I was watching as the world changed; more interestingly, I was watching as my country changed from a small but rich one into a real world power. There were all sorts of political developments, from how Whirlpool''s society was shaping itself to how other countries were reacting. It was very cool to watch history being made; admittedly, it filled me with a certain narcissistic glee that I was the cause.

    Uzushiogakure had maintained its policy of semi-isolation. They didn''t really want all those possibly dangerous ninja coming over. So it stayed much more of a ¡°family-clan-vassal-village¡± location, with a healthy helping of ¡°fortress¡±, and was actually even less focused on ¡°ninja¡± arts than before as the sealing arts gained prominence (partially my fault). Anyone with any inclination towards sealing was being pushed into that direction, and expanding chakra-networks to allow for more seals to be used became a major Academy focus there.

    Whirlpool was also following a fairly intelligent policy with regards to Mist and Water Country. Rather than having large centers of semi-isolated and self-interested ninja (a recipe for intrigue if ever there was one), a number of mixed elite military villages had been coming about. They typically combined a traditional military base garrisoned by regular soldiers, as well as a smaller command and special operations section staffed by samurai and ninja.  The bases were often located near or at a port.

    There was a focus on keeping these places about the soldiers and family members who lived there, and keeping most of the business in nearby towns.  The troops drew pay from the central government. Uzushiogakure was still the premier military center, even if it focused most on the Uzumaki clan and sealing, as it pretty much always has been.

    There were of course the traditional samurai lords and their retainers as well, though Kazuo had gone for a more "late-period" bureaucracy that included samurai and efficient officials, rather than a super-traditional feudalism. There was still some more traditional feudalism, but it was, for the most part, enforced more by custom than law; citizens had a high degree of rights in Whirlpool.

    Take my own retainers; there were a number of ways they could leave my service, though their own personal understanding of honor forbade it. Since Water was a recent addition, there were a lot of local "military governors" with broad powers over their territory, but these were not automatic hereditary seats.

    Basically, the leader of the Uzumaki, and thus Whirlpool, was elected. He wasn''t a big fan of permanent, multi-generational appointments, as the risks of such were well understood.  For all its militaristic traditions and feudal overtones, Whirlpool was fairly meritocratic.  It was quite pragmatic though too: wealth, land, and power were considered merits, whether earned personally or through inheritance.

    I had a lot of power over my smallish island because I and my family, who had partially come under my theoretical leadership and were heavily involved in the colonization and modernization there, were granted property rights over the whole port-town, and some surrounding fields, forests and mines. I was also the senior court official, and technically military governor. Further, Tou-san, partially under my instructions, had already turned it around and made it productive (or at least peaceful), and had recruited enough troops to actually send them out to help Whirlpool where there was trouble with Kiri ninja or other Water Country hold-outs.

    It helped that I was a somewhat notorious genius and none of my fellow countrymen were too interested in seeing what I might do if pissed off, especially with so much favor with the national leadership. There were lower lying fruits for the greedy with a shit-ton of land and honors up for grabs, especially considering how small Uzushiogakure was.

    So for that laundry list of reasons, I had been able to consolidate almost total control over my island; cue maniacal laughter.

    Overall, Whirlpool was effectively shaping up into a mostly benevolent four-tier semi-autocratic government with a high level of general rights. The lowest tier were the general citizens, who had general rights but little power or influence beyond that. They could only vote for the most local elections, and many of the more important posts weren¡¯t elected to begin with.

    The third tier were the non-voting recognized citizens. This included some retainers, clan-members outside of the Uzumaki, low level sealers, ninja and samurai (many from Wave or more recent immigrants or converts). The third tier had some special rights and powers, but not the right to vote for the leader of Uzushiogakure; they did sometimes have voting rights at levels of organization below the national one, depending on the region.

    The second and top tiers consisted of voting citizens. The second tier was anyone capable of voting for the Uzushiogakure leader. This included the more important and powerful, with known loyalty to Whirlpool, as well as many of those who might have been third tier if they weren''t citizens of Uzushiogakure (which had a lower bar for at least basic voting rights, though they''d only be able to cast one or two votes per person).

    The second tier was pretty broad, ranging from an Uzushiogakure genin on up to the Lord Admiral of the Fleet. As people from the third tier were considered to have proven loyalties, they would typically gain at least minimal voting rights.

    The top tier was anyone who was capable of voting for the Uzumaki Head Candidates. This top tier consisted only of Uzumaki clan members. That said, a low-ranked Uzumaki was still lower in all other respects than a high-ranked official outside of the Uzumaki, including in the number of votes they could cast once those candidates were selected. Some individuals had been granted the right to vote in Uzumaki elections, typically as a special honor, or to many of those that had married into the clan.  This was a long-standing historical policy and had led to the effect where there was such a large number of Uzumaki families from different backgrounds.

    Overall, the voting system that was shaping up seemed very practical. It was based on the true fundamental base of democracy, which was not (as many liberals or those with rosy-glasses towards history believed) based on morality.

    Democracy came about in Greece as a way of finding out how the military age males felt about their leaders so that they could determine who would win any actual fights over who ruled without actually having the fight. There had been this whole mess involving, of all things, a homosexual love triangle (I''m not kidding, you really can''t make this shit up- democracy has its roots in homosexuality) involving a pair of leading political figures and their pretty-boy object of affection. It got conflated with all the politics at the time, and basically the situation exploded. To prevent blood from running in the streets in the future, voting was introduced designed to show everyone where the balance of power rested.

    But straight democracy doesn¡¯t work well when some people are death-dealing gods capable of slaughtering thousands in personal combat.  Much in the same way that it didn¡¯t work well during the middle ages on Earth, when knights were so much more dangerous than peasants.

    Worlds apart, the Uzumaki, Uzushiogakure and Whirlpool had a similar system, though modified to account for this difference in power. Votes depended on personal power, achievements, honors and the like. The Uzumaki, as an essential component of the village (we had all the best sealers) selected leadership candidates, who were then approved by those considered to be loyal to the nation (anyone with Uzushiogakure voting rights), again through a vote depending on power, influence, contribution to the state, etc. The commoners and those new to society weren''t really considered to matter. It was harsh, and somewhat favoring males, but it reflected the reality of the situation.

    As for the rest of the world, our no-longer-enemies Earth and Lightning had taken fairly significant losses back during that failed invasion, and the minor nations especially were using that chance to escape their clutches and settle scores. Lightning was getting harassed by all the pirates driven away from Mist and Water Country, and had lost their control of Frost which had basically declared neutrality and slowly begun making overtures to Whirlpool.

    Earth and the Hidden Rock Village meanwhile had it even worse, as they were embroiled in a little war with Wind and the Sand Village over vassal-states and local influence. River with their Hidden Valley Village had joined in on Wind''s side. In Fang and Claw, traditionally Earth and Iwagakure turf they were being pressed pretty hard. Rain, unfortunately right between the major Suna and Valley combined command and the main Earth forces, was getting fucked as usual; the Sand and Earth ninja made things even worse as they were particularly harsh on non-allied civilians.

    Konohagakure had actually done really well politically. Grass had moved much more in the direction of Leaf and Fire, as had Waterfall, Rice and Hotsprings. With the recent Uzushio naval dominance, Hotsprings (whose economy depended on tourism and fishing the Haran Bay) had actually made moves to become a part of the Whirlpool alliance with Fire and Konoha, and was basically the junior nation in the developing power-house alliance. Rice was making overtures to both Iron and the Land of Fire; they lacked a ninja village, but didn''t have any real enemies and were in a good negotiating position as the local bread-basket.

    Whirlpool was becoming the leader of maritime trade, and many of the large international trading companies were locating new offices and transit centers in Water-Country to make use of Whirlpool Naval Escorts for trade convoys.  The decrease in corruption and piracy was a huge boon to the former Water territories.

    Basically, as far as the Elemental nations went, things were good; very good if you lived in Whirlpool or Fire Country.

 Chapter 27: Calling Home

    Chapter 27: Calling Home

    About halfway through the week we were sat in the Consulate communications center in casual clothing, about to have the conference with Tou-san. I was at the head of the table and had Sachiko on the right carrying a stack of papers as well as a notebook and pen for any notes.

    Tou-san connected into the communication conference, and was sitting in a room I hadn''t seen before.

    ¡°It''s good to see you, Daichi-kun! Sachiko-chan, I hope you''re well.¡±

    ¡°You too, Tou-san.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Kohaku-sensei.¡±

    ¡°Good, good. So. The quarterly update. Shall I do the usual?¡±

    ¡°I''ll update you on Konoha, then we''ll go through family updates, any new retainers, the military situation, an economic update, the progress projects including construction and any new issues?¡± I asked, and got a nod in reply. ¡°Sounds good to me. I noticed you''re in a new room?¡±

    ¡°That''s right! Hawk''s House was completed with the most recent set of construction seals, so we''ve started to furnish it. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I like it. Not too opulent, but it looks comfortable and practical,¡± I replied before getting to business. ¡°Alright, we still need to do team training with Yasu, so I''ll get started. I assume you got the most recent shipment?¡±

    ¡°That''s right. Thank you; I know how boring making those seals must be for you.¡±

    ¡°It''s not too bad. I get to practice my chakra scribing technique, so at least it¡¯s not a total waste. Anyway, what else is there¡­ our training is going well. Everyone''s healthy. I''m almost done with the automatic sword-sealer; that should hopefully be ready within the month, though it''ll depend a bit on how much training and life interfere. And, well, hmm...¡± I paused as I pretended to be deep in thought, then cheekily finished ¡°can''t really think of anything else!¡±

    ¡°I feel sorry for you, Sachiko-chan, if my son tries to be funny with you too,¡± he said joking at my neglecting to tell him if I passed my graduation exam and if the Hokage allowed my request for my retainers to make up my immediate genin-cell.

    ¡°It is a sacrifice necessary for my service, Kohaku-sensei,¡± she replied in a deadpan before finishing it off with a classic ninja saying: ¡°I endure.¡±  As if my humor were as bad as being tortured, or physically and mentally damaged.  Tou-san burst into laughter, and with a big grin I spoke up.

    ¡°And see, Tou-san, Sachiko-chan''s sense of humor continues to grow!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. Well done on breaking down your retainer, Daichi-kun. Now stop keeping an old man waiting.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Wouldn''t want you to forget what we were talking about. So, we passed the Elite Genin Graduation Test, as if you expected any different. And Hokage-sama was kind enough to allow my retainers to serve in the same genin cell.¡±

    ¡°Good. I know how much you like having Sachiko around especially; I''m glad she''ll be able to continue to support you.¡± I knew what he was insinuating, but even if we weren¡¯t in any way together, it was true; I''d have been miserable if Sachiko wasn''t assigned to my group, and while Yasu was a bit more of a ¡°quiet outdoors-type¡±, he was familiar and comfortable. Funnily enough Sachiko, who normally insinuated such things with a totally matter-of-fact, everyday tone, had a faint blush.

    ¡°But that''s pretty much it. So what''s happening with you guys, on Hawk''s Haven and in our little town?¡± I asked with a faint moue of displeasure when I said the name.

    ¡°OK. Well, as I''m sure Kaa-san told you last weekend, your little imouto turned two, and is getting into all sorts of mischief. This last week, she managed to get into Kaa-san''s sealing supplies, and well, Kaa-san ended up having to get the wallpaper replaced. She was not pleased. I doubt little Ayumi-chan will make that mistake again. Other than that, everyone is in good health. Kaa-san passed her Expert Sealer''s Exam, which she''s been keeping kind of quiet; I''ve had to tell people on her behalf. I''ve also heard that Otou-sama is quietly bragging about your ¡°contribution to improving the art of the sword¡± and is starting to equip his top retainers with your seal-blades.¡±

    His air quotes around that sentence were hilarious.

    ¡°Really? Well, I''ll congratulate Kaa-san when we next speak. Expert Sealer''s where things really get fun, too; she must be getting close to a mastery in her specialty. And as for Ojii-sama, tell him if he''d like to send a vial of his blood, I''ll make him one with all the bells and whistles. It''ll be fun to see what I can come up with to add on top of that¡­¡± I started to go into what I thought of as ¡°sealing mind¡± as the possibilities came up, but Sachiko tapped me lightly under the table with her foot and I refocused.  Truly she was the best minion. ¡°Oh, and Sachiko, make a note to make another dozen blades, a mix of air and water, to go along with it.¡±

    ¡°Other than that, some of the Clan elders are still on me to take on some concubines,¡± he continued with a faint look of irritation. ¡°You mother says she doesn''t mind, and could use someone to help her gang up on me; I think she just wants some free baby-sitters.¡±

    ¡°Well, there''s no chance you could make someone as awesome as me,¡± and how true that statement was ¡°but I wouldn''t mind having more siblings, even half siblings, if you wanted to, Tou-san. I won''t be upset if Kaa-san is allowing it.¡± And she''d have to be; she was technically the head of my family, not Tou-san, due to clan-law favoring sealers and Tou-san''s spat with Ojii-sama all those years ago.

    ¡°Well, I''ll tell you what I told them: I''ll think about it when the situation in Wave is a bit more stable. It''s not like I''m that old, the interfering busybodies.¡± I laughed a bit at that.

    ¡°So, that was family. Now, onto retainers and vassals. They''ve been getting settled in at Hawk''s Haven. You currently have eight samurai of good experience who have sworn themselves to you, as well as a round dozen of their apprentices; the three with families are settling in on the island, while the rest are off earning you points with the other Whirlpool military commanders. As for ninja, you''re doing a bit better there; the collapse of Mist, and our own position have meant that a lot are attracted to us. As you know, you''ve got a full clan, if a somewhat small one, as vassals; the Matsuoka are up to thirty seven members, of whom eleven are combat capable. The independents and families are up to a total of twenty six ninja, of which there are fully four worthy of being jonin ranked and a good score of chunin. Four of those ninja are recent additions; they''ll need blades ¨C two water, an earth and a lightning. One of the ninja is from Uzushiogakure, and has his own Pelican; we''ll need extra ammunition and fuel-seals, if possible¡± I nodded, and Sachiko made a note of this without even being asked.

    ¡°I''ve set the earth-user to work on the island, while the others are proving themselves with the combat group. And that ends the retainer update!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Militarily, we''re doing very well. We finished installing your upgrades to the Cyclone defense system seals, and the sensor network is finally all up and running; there aren''t any more gaps in coverage. I managed to get the island declared a permanent Whirlpool Naval Basing Site, mostly because of our harbor; at times we have up to five hundred workers, soldiers and sailors on the Island, and there''s always at least a full century assigned to permanent duty. They''ve been building a permanent base, which is good for employment.¡±

    ¡°That''s good to hear; it''s always best when your defenses are free, after all. Did you talk to the base commander about using our seal-work to reduce our taxes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and the Navy''s been quite happy to go for it. Our taxes have been halved for this year and the next; if we supply another five Pelican pilots with full equipment for light operations, they''ll be forgiven entirely.¡±

    ¡°Is it worth it?¡±

    ¡°Monetarily, not quite. But, there is an allowance for ammunition for training with the Pelicans, and our men will get more experience; it helps the island security too, and there are still the occasional left-over pirates.¡±

    ¡°Do it, then. How are the private guards shaping up?¡±

    ¡°Pretty well. Apart from your retainers, we''ve got just over eighty sailors and a hundred and forty professional soldiers sworn to you. We''ve been focusing on training them up to work with our forces and operate Cyclone systems, as well as training more marines. We''re expecting the fifth patrol-craft to be ready to be picked up from Uzushiogakure in another six weeks. The troops are on track to be able to operate as training cadre a year from now.¡±

    I smiled.  That was significantly better than I had expected. ¡°Excellent. Get them as trained up as possible; I want to announce the militia program whenever I can finally visit. It''ll probably be another year or two though.¡±

    ¡°That''s fine. It''s not a pressing priority, given all the changes that are happening. Shall we move to the financial update?¡±

    ¡°Lets. How are we doing?¡±

    ¡°Well, we''re doing very well so far. The trading company you set up with Hikaru-san managed to expand our re-supply contracts with the various military forces, and the pair of patrol craft we''ve been using as escorts have proved sufficient to drive off any potential pirates. The income from the seal-blades keeps increasing, and the war was very good for royalties from the Cyclone Seals. The Pelican income is something, even if your cut isn''t that large. The payments for your men working as mercenaries continues to improve as well. Even with your heavy investment into the island, and the recent purchase of the iron-mines, we''ll show a significant profit, especially if we don''t end up paying any taxes to Whirlpool. Our policy on low taxes is about to run out on the island too, so we''ll see more income from that soon.¡±

    ¡°Good. And the taxes will stay at that new level until I arrive; I''ll announce the partial tax reduction for families with active Militia service. It''ll help with morale and make them feel like they¡¯re earning the lower rate.¡±  Low taxes, eventually normalized ¨C it was literally right out of Machiavelli¡¯s The Prince for pacifying recent conquests, and had worked out surprisingly well.  Lowering them again in return for militia service was my own twist though.

    ¡°So cunning,¡± he teased. ¡°As for projects, well, I already mentioned your trading company. The most recent set of construction seals and finished materials finally got us keeping up with demand for things like sewers and pipes as you demanded in the ¡°building code¡±. The water-sanitation seals are up and running. We''ve gotten a recent shipment in of superior soybeans, rice and other staples, and will start planting in fall. The humidity-collection seals and the water-storage seals have proved effective, and the current crop is looking larger than normal due to the improved irrigation. Two new warehouses are still under construction, and one was just completed last week. The first expansion of the docks is finished as well.¡±

    ¡°Wow, Tou-san. I''m impressed. How much am I paying you?¡± I wasn''t paying him anything, and we both knew it; he was however drawing pay as the Military Governor''s Deputy for the Island, but due to the size of the Island that was pretty negligible ¨C only about as much as a military Captain without any active-combat bonus.  In other words, barely enough to live off.  Luckily he had incomes from his own lands, Kaa-san¡¯s income from selling seals, and rather large invested savings.  The government pay was basically a rounding error.

    ¡°You know how much you''re paying me,¡± he answered with a smile.

    ¡°I do. Double it.¡± He laughed out loud, and I smiled.  ¡°Alright. I''m glad you''ve managed to do such a good job with the island in such a short time. So. Now onto my favorite part. Issues.¡±

    ¡°There isn''t really anything that needs your attention, other than one problem.¡±

    ¡°The insects.¡±

    ¡°That''s right. The area is just too large for standard anti-insect seals, and while we''ve spread them to every home, the workers are still having issues when outside. We''ve lost two to sickness already, even with the new clinic, and will lose more before the year''s out.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Can you get Kaa-san to work on something for it? I''d do it myself, but I doubt I''ll have the time. Tell her I''ll give her a fortnight''s stored chakra.¡± That was a huge amount; enough to buy a half dozen Pelicans, or about the equivalent purchasing power of $200,000.  Being an intelligently designed Jinchuriki had its benefits.

    ¡°I think she can focus on it for a time with that. Any ideas?¡±

    ¡°Nothing I''m sure of. Maybe something that detects and traps bugs the size of a mosquito or smaller, with a cyclically varying volume so it captures them, compresses the area, squishes them, then resets? That would be my first idea, at least.  Or possibly a scanner paired with very weak directed light beams? See what she thinks.¡±

    ¡°Will do. Alright, that''s it then. Love you, Daichi-kun. Stay well, Sachiko-chan, and make sure to give my son all the trouble he can handle. Give my congratulations to Yasu-kun when you see him, and all of you enjoy the fruits of your progress.¡±

    ¡°Love you too, Tou-san. Have fun on the island. We''ll talk again soon.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Kohaku-sensei. I will follow your instructions,¡± Sachiko replied with a bit of a grin. Tou-san''s informality was definitely infectious; he could always get Sachiko to lighten up more than I could, which was totally unfair.

    And with that, we went and fetched Yasu for some team training. Yasu was an interesting kid; he was one of those ¡°quiet, watchful, calm¡± types, and loved to spend time out in the woods. He specialized in tracking, both as a sensor and using more traditional techniques, and was pretty skilled with camouflage and stealth, traps, and traditional ninja weapons like kunai and shuriken. He was decent with a sword, though Uncle and I were training him to be better. We got along pretty well, but he always preferred to watch me than actually interact with me, and was I think a bit intimidated sometimes so we weren''t as good friends as I was with Sachiko.

    Within the team, he mostly had a scout/rogue role, while I was the tank/artillery, and Sachiko was the misdirection/support, though she was good enough with water jutsu and a few combat oriented wind ones to play ¡°tactical caster¡± when needed. She was also pretty damned amazing at espionage, but that wasn''t really a combat task. Sachiko, who was then 17, and Yasu, who was 16, both had skills and bodies that could have easily qualified for Special Jonin. With their slowly developing sets of body-seals, which included DEWS, HUDs, and Cyclone seals as well as a genjutsu-defense I''d modified from the one designed for Bijuu, they had everything they needed to be jonin save for battle experience. Their seal-blades and custom Pelican summons were just icing on the cake.

    Considering the weird mix of VIP and combat monster that I represented combined with my team''s potential, I was very interested to find out what Sarutobi would have us doing, and who he would assign to be our team''s Jonin-Sensei. By the time the end of the week came, I was legitimately exited to find out, and a bit impatient, so I was distracting myself by harassing Sachiko more than usual by trying to make her exhibit visible emotion, or find me new and interesting books to read or training exercises to practice.

    After being so busy, downtime could actually be really difficult to deal with.

    ===================================

    If you haven''t seen it, you may enjoy checking out Badass</a>.  Set in Worm (a modern semi-gritty superhero story), and with elements from Fate and Badass of the Week, it''s crack-taken-seriously, over-the-top pulp-fiction style violence with an overpowered protagonist, and banned on two other sites.  Hell, even the light-hearted omake jokes in this were considered too subversive to persist.

    Do note, backlog processed, so no more daily releases on Badass.

    ===================================

    I''ve also begun posting another of my stories, Far Strider</a>, onto RRL.  Here''s the synopsis:

    A college student finds himself transported into a strange land with burgeoning magical powers, and is taken in by Ned Stark. Will he sink or swim in this medieval society, and will he ever get home?

    OC-insert without knowledge of Game of Thrones, new planeswalker. Slow power ramp.

    Second crossover: Star Wars (around chapter 39).

    Currently releases daily.

 Chapter 28: Meet and Greet

    Chapter 28: Meet and Greet

    Finally, finally the day came and we were waiting in classroom with a bunch of other elite-track graduates. Our lead personal instructor, a mix of military-skills guidance-counselor and homeroom teacher, came in and we immediately stood at attention, bowed, then settled in our seats. We were in the Ninja Academy, after all, not some civilian school. The Instructor read out assignments from a sheet, and eventually came to ours.

    ¡°Uzumaki Daichi, Hisakawa Sachiko, Hisakawa Yasu. Congratulations, you''re now Provisional Genin Team Seven under Jiraiya, the Toad Sage.¡± I groaned. We just had to have that bastard. And Sachiko was most definitely not a kid anymore; she''d grown up to be quite the beauty, and I was just glad that she hadn''t had anyone catch her eye yet. I might get into trouble if they disappeared after angering her, after all. But I should have guessed; Jiraiya had that whole ¡°Child of Prophecy¡± fixation, and I was a likely candidate. Hell, it was possible I had already inadvertently fulfilled the prophecy.

    After the names had all been read, Jonin-senseis started to show up and collect their charges. About five minutes into the frenzy, a fourteen year old Namikaze Minato walked in and called out for us, so we went over.

    ¡°Hi, Team Seven, commander Jonin Jiraiya?¡±

    We nodded. ¡°What is it, Namikaze-senpai?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Ah, Jiraiya-sensei said he was busy with research, and asked me to collect you.¡± I shared a glance with Sachiko. We all started walking with Minato towards where the hot-springs were located. Why Jiraiya had a peeking fetish in a village that would have literally thrown as many girls at him as he could cum in was beyond me. Maybe it helped him get it up? In which case it was actually, in a weird way, fulfilling what one might see as Jiraiya¡¯s duty to Konohagakure.

    Shaking the images out of my head, I refocused. As for Minato, so long as he kept his eyes off Sachiko, we would get along fine.

    ¡°So, did you two get reassigned or something?¡± Minato asked while motioning towards my retainers.

    ¡°No, they''re my retainers; I got permission from Hokage-sama for us to all graduate together and for them to be on my team.¡±

    ¡°Really? For how long have they been your retainers?¡±

    I just sighed. ¡°Namikaze-senpai, I am aware that you''re a jonin, you know; congratulations on your promotion, by the way. But, I know Jiraiya-sensei was your sensei. I suspect you''ve read our files; I would have. You don''t need to pretend not to know us.¡±

    At this he semi-nervously scratched the back of his head. ¡°Wow. Haha. Well, um, sorry?¡±

    ¡°Like I said. No need to apologize.¡± I smiled gently to take the sting out of the situation.

    ¡°So, what ninja subjects do you guys like most? I actually only looked at the first page ¨C I thought any more would be rude, so I only have a very basic idea of your capabilities.¡± If that was true then he needed to wise up.

    I scratched my chin. ¡°Now I''m interested in reading my own file to see what''s there. Hmm. I like Seals.¡±

    ¡°Really! I didn''t see that in the file. Well, if you ever have questions, feel free to ask me!¡± He was trying so hard to be nice and helpful. I doubted he had many friends his age, so I felt a little bad for the short burst of laughter that escaped my lips.

    ¡°Ha! Sorry, Namikaze-senpai.¡± He was looking a bit affronted, and Sachiko and Yasu were looking on in amusement. ¡°It''s just. You''re probably what, level two? Level three maybe? I did hear you were a genius. But, I have a strong Uzumaki bloodline; I''m an Intuitive level five, a full High Expert.¡± I was lying. I was an Intuitive level six, almost seven, and a fully accredited Low Master (no specialty). But that was classified to within the Sealing Department and Kazuo-sama alone, as was the identity of all non-public masters. Either way though, it hardly changed the ridiculousness of him offering assistance when I was at that level at the age of four.

    He looked puzzled. ¡°Level two? Level three? We don''t use those. I passed the Konohagakure Sealing Corps'' expert test though.¡±

    ¡°We''ll ask Jiraiya, but I''d bet that''s about second or third level. Still very impressive, especially for someone who is so young and without any Uzumaki blood. You don''t have any Uzumaki blood, do you?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn''t know. I''m an orphan.¡± He was visibly a bit bummed out at my put-down.

    ¡°Ah, my apologies, Namikaze-senpai.¡±

    ¡°It''s fine, it''s fine. You can call me Minato too, you know. But if you''re so good with seals, why didn''t the Sealing Corps take you as an early graduate?¡±

    Sachiko coughed lightly at his willingness to just jump into potentially awkward topics.

    ¡°Well, you probably saw that I''m on indefinite secondment to Konoha, right? I''m still a noble of the Whirlpool Court, and I''m not allowed to use or teach clan secrets without the right approval. I''ve actually been an expert since I arrived in Konoha when I was eight.¡±

    ¡°Huh. So, did you have any problems at the academy? It''s just, Jiraiya-sensei said you were another genius, and we might get along, so it''s just been bugging me that you entered and exited at the normal times. Ah! Sorry, I didn''t mean that to sound rude or anything.¡± Awkward Minato was actually kind of endearing. He had a certain warmth to him, and to his chakra, almost a constant ¡°I care¡± Presence. It was pretty interesting; I understood how he could be seen as charismatic. Even being all awkward, I wasn''t pissed off with him.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°No, no, it''s alright. You''ve clearly spent most of your time as a combat, rather than diplomatic or noble infiltration ninja. I just wanted to take all the electives that seemed interesting.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. Yes, my social skills aren''t that trained. But were the electives really useful? I only took the ones my instructor guided me towards or that I thought I''d need in the future, so I''m interested in your take.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Some. And some might be useful in the future. The best one, I think, was the Advanced Battlefield Presence.¡±

    ¡°Really, the Killing Intent class? But isn''t that ineffective against stronger opponents?¡±

    ¡°Presence is much more than simple KI. It''s good for a commander, since you can use it improve the morale of your forces. Were you there for the speech before the invasion of Water-country?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied a bit hesitantly.

    ¡°Do you remember how pumped up you were? Both Hokage-sama and I were using Presence to make our speeches better. In general, it can be used like a weaker but less intrusive genjutsu, which is good because I can only use aggressive offensive genjutsu.¡±

    ¡°That sounds interesting. Maybe you can teach me some? And why can''t you use genjutsu?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I suspect you were planning on continuing to train and work with Jiraiya-sensei, right? We''ll probably be seeing a lot of each other. As for the genjutsu, I can use them. It''s just that my chakra is so dense, any environmental genjutsu is really obvious, and my genjutsu are semi-permanent.¡±

    His eyes widened a bit. ¡°That''s both terrifying and inconvenient. I heard a rumor about that, but didn''t know it was true. Well, we''re here now, so I''ll just get Jiraiya-sensei. I''ll be back in a moment,¡± he said as we reached a training ground near the hot-springs and Minato ran off to grab Jiraiya.

    He arrived a few minutes later with Jiraiya, who was complaining about having to stop he research, in tow.

    ¡°Haaah¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°Well, if I can''t be doing research, might as well. Brat, Bigger Brat,¡± he said before his eyes turned to the female of our group. ¡°Sachiko-chan, it''s so nice to you see you again, you''ve grown up well!¡± the bastard said to wind me up a bit.

    ¡°Ero-sensei. I trust you''ve been in good health, and I do so hope it continues,¡± I replied drily with a semi-obvious threat. We were both just poking a bit of fun at each other though.

    ¡°Greetings, Jiraiya-sensei,¡± came from Sachiko, while Yasu just raised an eyebrow and nodded. Minato, used to a far more serious approach to senior military officers, looked on in shock.

    ¡°Alright, kiddies, take a seat. You too, Minato-kun, if you''re staying.¡± We all dutifully sat on the grass, while Jiraiya remained standing.

    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself!¡± he began with his kabuki-introduction-dance. ¡°I am the man that all women know, and all men wish to be! Renowned from East to West, North to South! The Mighty Toad Sage, The Hermit Jiraiya!¡± Minato barely reacted, used to his sensei''s antics. I face-palmed, while Sachiko and Yasu were in shock.

    ¡°Alright, now you know who I am, so introduce yourselves!¡± he ordered with a clap. ¡°Minato-kun, you can go first.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, sensei. I''m Jonin Namikaze Minato, fourteen years old. I like creating jutsu. I dislike mud. My biggest strength is my speed. My biggest weakness is my size and lack of experience. My goal for the future is to become the fastest ninja in the world.¡±

    Jiraiya nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Good job, Minato, even if it wasn''t as cool as mine. Next up, Sachiko-chan!¡±

    ¡°I''m a retainer to Daichi-sama, Genin Hisakawa Sachiko, seventeen years old. I like having a calm tea. I dislike lavender. My biggest strengths are genjutsu and court-infiltration. My biggest weakness is taijutsu. My goal for the future is to be an excellent retainer to Daichi-sama.¡±

    ¡°You already are, Sachiko-chan, but thank you,¡± I interjected with a grin.

    ¡°Urgh. Too sweet. You, the bigger brat, you''re up,¡± Jiraiya said with a scrunched-up face.

    ¡°I''m also a retainer to Daichi-sama, and Sachiko nee-san''s cousin, Genin Hisakawa Yasu, sixteen years old. I like the forest. I dislike crowds. My biggest strengths are my stealth and tracking. My biggest weakness is my genjutsu and long range jutsu. My goal is to continue enjoying life, I guess.¡± That was our Yasu. Loquacious to the extreme. I think that may have been the most I''d heard him speak at once, ever.

    ¡°Alright, good, good. Now, the littlest brat!¡± Jiraiya teased me about my height.

    ¡°I''m Genin Uzumaki Daichi Fuutaka. I''m also Consul to Konohagakure and vassal-Baron of the Fourth Rank of Seal-Hawk Harbor. I like coming up with new uses for seals. I dislike fatty foods. My biggest strength¡­ Large scale destruction. My biggest weakness is an inability to use jutsu that require small amounts of chakra. My goal is a a long and full life for my family, retainers, and myself.¡±

    ¡°A good goal. Now that we all know each other a bit better, let''s talk about what happens next. Normally, there would be a test to see if you could work together as a team, but since you lot have been training together for years, that''s not really needed. Instead, I''ll be giving you a combat test to see how you do,¡± he said seriously as he held out a bell. ¡°To win, take this bell from me. Minato-kun will be watching from the sidelines, and will start the match. I''m pretty strong, so come with intent or you won''t get anywhere. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Hai, Sensei!¡± we chorused. While Minato walked to the edge of the clearing, I turned to Sachiko and Yasu.

    ¡°Territorial Blitz, with a Dazzler opener,¡± I told them using our hand-signs.

    ¡°Ready! Three, two, one, Start!¡± Minato called from the edge.

    Immediately, we burst into action. I tossed a seal and yelled out ¡°Dazzler out!¡± as we activated our protections. The Dazzler was the second generation seal to the Sparkler. It set off dozens of smaller flash-bangs (emphasis on the flash) in a wide area, each accompanied by a chakra wave to disrupt any sensors. A lot of experienced ninja knew how to deal with flashbangs; this wider volume version often took them by surprise at least once (and once is all you need). We had specific seals we could activate to protect our sight and hearing, so we could react faster.

    While Jiraiya was recoiling from the explosion of sensations, Yasu tossed four seals attached to kunai out in a tetrahedron with the point in the air and the point of the triangular base on the ground behind Jiraiya, crying out: ¡°Tetrahedron up!¡± as he made a hand-seal and activated the technique.

    The Tetrahedron was one of a number of temporary seal-shields I made and gave to my teammates. Its role was to keep an enemy inside the range where they were sure to fall to my chains, or break larger enemy forces up so we could eliminate them piecemeal. By orienting the point of the technique behind the opponent, it bound their motion and made it difficult to dodge. The shield could be taken down and re-charged, and contained sufficient chakra to pin even Jiraiya long enough to take him out.

    At the same time that Yasu was establishing the territory, Sachiko launched the distraction: a long series of nuisance genjutsu interspersed with shuriken poisoned with a numbing agent and DEWS shots dialed down to a painful ¡°sunburn¡± level for training and using a visual burst of light. Meanwhile, I shucked the top of my outfit, allowing it to settle around my waist while I launched a massive number of thread-thin chains, filling the whole area except for that around my retainers.

    Jiraiya instinctively dodged when the tag went off, and demonstrated just why he was so feared while avoiding Sachiko''s assault and breaking her genjutsu, taking only a few glancing shots as he began to have to deal with my capture threads. Individually weak enough to be broken, Jiraiya was quickly covered in enough that escape was impossible, and slowly wrapped up until he was totally incapable of moving. As Minato watched on with an open mouth through the faint blue color of the Tetrahedron, I sauntered up, smiling, and took the bell then released Jiraiya.

    ¡°That was fun, Jiraiya-sensei!¡± I said with a shit-eating grin. ¡°Wanna do it again?¡±

    He laughed and clapped his hands. ¡°I can tell this team is going to be a lot of fun,¡± he proclaimed with a broad smile.

 Chapter 29: Impatience

    Chapter 29: Impatience

    I managed to last two D-rank missions before I was fed up with them. The Hokage, or possibly one of his shadow clones, would often sit in the mission office, doing paperwork or whatever during the mornings, and would sometimes give out missions. As Jiraiya was our sensei, he''d typically go over to say hello, and end up picking up a mission for us in the process. The D-ranks were insufferable. The first had us raking leaves. When I accomplished this in moments with a finely controlled wind jutsu, Jiraiya re-scattered them, and told us it would be character building to do it the way all the other genin had to.

    I almost screamed. I hated the term ¡°character building¡±. It was most typically used when people wanted you to do something unpleasant for their own amusement, and couldn''t think of an even halfway decent reason. For me, it was even more pointless; my character was strongly enough built to survive the pull of Hell, the lure of Heaven, the drive to Ascend, the peace of Unity and the nothingness of the Void. There was no way that several hours spent raking leaves for pay I didn''t need when I had a thousand and one things I''d rather do, things that were far more important, was worth it.

    Part of my frustration was, admittedly, concerning one of these other tasks of mine; the automated seal-printer for the seal-swords was a failure. It actually worked, but only technically; the printer and the scanner that decided on seal placement in particular were far too inefficient. It took an already chakra-intensive process and made it an order of magnitude worse. While this was annoying, what was worse was that it meant I needed some new, more clever way of solving the problem. It put me back months of work, and left the project with all its projected profits in limbo.

    So, the third day we went in to get a D-rank, I spoke up.

    ¡°Am I allowed to request myself for a D-rank, Hokage-sama? Because I have my own boring tasks that need to be done, and my time is worth more than D-ranks.¡± Sarutobi grinned while Jiraiya grumbled and forked over a small handful of notes. They''d apparently been betting on how long it would take me to flip and give a good enough reason to not do any more D-ranks. And so in return for a relatively minor fee, our team spent the time normally given to D-ranks on personal pursuits, while the rest of the day was for team training.

    Team training was actually much harder in some ways than it would have been with regular genin. Sachiko, Yasu and I were a well honed unit, and unused to working with Jiraiya who had his own method of doing things. Also, while Jiraiya was still much stronger, and a fair bit faster than I (especially when using sage-mode), I actually had the edge in massive, area-destroying jutsu that he normally provided, and of course I was better with seals. The third component of his combat style, the trickster/stealth type combat he sometimes used wasn''t something we could fit into. Figuring out where he''d fit inside our attacks and formations was a pain that was only made worse when Minato was around.

    Minato was kind of funny. He wasn''t quite sure whether he wanted to be friends with me or not. On the one hand, he was a genius and enjoyed spending time around someone as bright as he was. On the other, the fact that I was a genin, younger than he, and more advanced in several fields made him a bit jealous; it was the first time he''d really been shown up by someone his age, and he was one of those people who found it much easier to magnanimous in victory than defeat. There was also a tinge of ¡°having made it¡± by achieving jonin rank, and the fact that I obviously didn''t care rankled.

    That was further confused by the awkward situation where he outranked me socially as a jonin, but I outranked him as a lord. I found it hilarious to further confuse him over the situation, and alternatively wind him up then get him liking me again. He''d retreat from the situation, confused, then come back hours or days later; it totally cracked me up. Jiraiya knew what I was doing, but knew I wasn''t the type to take it too far, and that it was good for Minato''s social development, so he let it be.

    Over time, our teamwork settled out. We were something of an odd team, since we didn''t have any particular specialty. We weren''t a team built for wide scale destruction; I had that kind of firepower (as did Jiraiya, for that matter), but my team-mates didn''t (unless we were using Pelicans, but that was totally different). We weren''t built for tracking; Yasu could probably track the average chunin, but not those specializing in stealth in the wilds. Stealth? Yasu could sneak with the best of them, and Sachiko could blend into any noble palace, but I stood out a bit. Further, we were the last team they could send on highly questionable operations; it would have been a diplomatic incident in the making, and it was a poor idea to subject a Jinchuriki to high mental stress, especially when they were capable of what I could do even at age twelve.

    If anything, we were closest to being a diplomatic team, but couldn''t really do that for Konohagakure since I was linked so strongly to Uzushiogakure. On the other hand, we could do pretty much any mission at least as well as a solid chunin team, and didn''t have any real weaknesses; we should survive any opposition that wasn''t put together to specifically hunt us. So long as Jiraiya was along, we could face anyone up to Kage level with at least the possibility of success. Further, with my long range communications seals from Uzushio, we could stay in contact with both Whirlpool and Konohagakure. We were perfectly suited to be roving troubleshooters who would go out of the village, keep taking missions, and only come back after every six months or so.

    While our teamwork was settling out, things were getting a bit more tense. In the West, the conflict between Suna, backed somewhat quietly by Wind, and Iwa, backed somewhat quietly by Earth, had settled down into a brutal, pointless conflict that was slowly grinding down ninja and civilians on both sides. As far as Konoha was concerned, that was excellent.

    Lightning though had mostly consolidated after their losses. They had accepted the loss of influence in the lands of Frost and Hot Springs, not that they could do much else; Kumo had always been feared more for their personal might, brutality, and underhanded cunning than their subtlety or convincing political machinations. Then they had weathered the raids from Water-country pirates that were displaced or wise enough to remain but avoid attacking any shipping that the Whirlpool government actually cared about.

    While Whirlpool and Lightning were no longer in conflict, there was still a serious feeling of bad blood, and such piracy was at least tolerated; I know that my own trading company had passed on intelligence on some of our potential competitors from Lightning. But with the situation stabilizing at home, Kumogakure was back to making mischief in the North-East. Konohagakure had had to shift more forces in that direction, and was still under-staffed due to their nearly-completed obligations towards Uzushiogakure.

    And so it was that we got our first C-rank of many. We were being sent to a town called Okutari, about halfway between Konohagakure and the border of Hot Springs Country. It was well positioned in case we had to reinforce the border ourselves, and the space needed some ninja teams. The local area had been most depleted of ninja due to the shifts necessitated by Kumo''s actions; there was apparently a criminal surge there, including a local slaving group which had kidnapped the wrong noble''s daughter. She had been ransomed back, but we were expected to hunt the organization down and break it for the dishonor. While the difficulty was ¡°C-rank¡±, it actually paid enough for several c-rank missions, depending on which objectives we succeeded at, and had a large expense account. I had no issues with the mission, as I hated the concept of slavers, and so my team had no problems with the mission.

    Because there was little immediate urgency in the mission and we were expecting a six-month posting to the region, we were given a day to gather supplies and pack. I notified the Consulate and Whirlpool of where we''d be, and arranged with the smiths I''d been working with to send the unsealed swords on to Konoha''s outpost in Okutari so I could finish them as I had time. I then packed up my entire workshop, including the protections, in case we had enough down-time for me to work elsewhere. We said our goodbyes to Auntie and Uncle, and had a leaving feast. The next morning, bright and early, we left with a hung-over Jiraiya in tow; apparently he had been availing himself of the ladies before leaving.

    The trip was uneventful; it lasted two days, but we didn''t run into anything particularly interesting or stop at any villages or towns along the way. Arriving at Okutari was very interesting. The town was on the river, and served as the center for both the region''s farming and the river-trade, much of it local rice and sake on river-barges bound for other areas. I''d never really been in a place like that before, somewhere that focused on civilians. I''d grown up in Uzushiogakure, and apart from a brief visit to the noble quarter of Keishi, Fire Country''s capital, I''d spent the remainder of my time in Konohagakure. None of those places were ones that really focused on everyday civilian life in the Elemental Countries, and it was pretty interesting.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The town had a wall around it, but without the seal-defenses of Konohagakure or any great height; it was more to restrict transit and ensure taxes were collected, all under the banner of ¡°protecting against bandits¡± and ¡°wild animals¡±. The village guard, apart from a detachment of the Daimyo''s Army, were little better than armed civilians, and very few in the village had any notable chakra presence. The people wore more traditional clothing, and interacted much more like how I''d imagine late medieval Japanese peasants acted than the more modern Uzushiogakure or unconventional social evolution of Konohagakure. The buildings were shorter, and less sturdily built. For all of that, the area was clearly prosperous; there were few poor or beggars, the houses were well maintained, people seemed decently fed and clothed. Yet there were villains lurking in the shadows, and we were there to hunt them.

    For that purpose, we were acting certain parts. Jiraiya had had us decide on them, mostly as a training exercise. Sachiko, as our infiltration specialist, assigned the roles. I, being the most difficult to hide, was a young noble heir. Jiraiya was a senior guard sent to ensure my safety, and Yasu was his apprentice. Sachiko was my maid. Since we were potentially going to try and go after these slavers as buyers, she had also insisted on pretending to be my ¡°toy¡±. I protested, but lost the argument.

    Jiraiya''s transformation was the most surprising; I had never really seen him with his game-face on for an infiltration mission. But a bit of dye, a change in posture, add a spear and some armor and I might have thought him a middle-aged guard had I not known better. Sachiko at least I already knew as a consummate actress, though this did not help me overmuch.

    Sachiko''s transformation was the most disturbing; even though I knew she was only acting, her beaten-down submission had me upset. It got worse as I became more irritated. She, fully playing the role, would flinch at my irritation, stammer apologies and the like, and I would just get more wound up. Eventually it came to something of a head, and I almost killed a decent man for involving himself.

    It was the early afternoon, and after touring around the city for a few hours I was ready to snap. We had been inspecting stalls, listening to conversations in tea-shops, and chatting to merchants about the local entertainments; all the while, Sachiko''s act had been getting to me more and more. By this point I was visibly annoyed. We were walking down one of the main streets on the way to one of the nicer inns in the town, suitable for someone like who I was pretending to be and apparently with luxuries that a young man might desire; it was the same inn that the noble''s daughter had stayed at, and we were hoping there was some seedy connection we might uncover. Then a man decided to interject himself; he was dressed like a wealthy farmer, or perhaps a smith, visibly strong from a lifetime of work, and both more foolish and luckier than he ever realized.

    He was likely a man wealthy enough that he never really had trouble with the law, and the town was independent so it had no standing lords or samurai he had to fear. A man that strong, in a place without people trained to wield chakra might have a seriously inflated sense of power. And he was a decent man.

    In the end, that was what saved his life. He was a decent man without a sense of his own power, who wanted to save a pretty girl, from a town where many young girls were likely going missing.

    He entered the scene right after Sachiko flinched (yet again) as my frowning visage passed over her. We were all, of course, using false names from one of the many, many seemingly legitimate cover identities we had established, but I neither remember which names we were using nor really care; for sake of convenience, I''ll use our regular names.

    ¡°Hey, girl, you alright there?¡± the man called out, rising from a street-side bar with a trio of his similarly large friends. By the scars on one''s knuckles and the broken nose of another, they were no strangers to the occasional brawl either, and it looked like they''d already had a few. ¡°You''re not having any trouble, are you? Cause if you are, me and the boys would be happy to help.¡±

    Annoyed by the day I''d been having, and without really thinking about it I steeped forward, closing the distance to one where I could kill with an opening technique of my Iaijutsu, my feet already positioned. In my mind, it was to protect Sachiko, but I wasn''t really thinking about it. Merely, I was stressed to the point that my trained responses were starting to take over.

    ¡°My servant is fine. We don''t require any assistance from you.¡± I stated, remembering just in time to call her my servant rather than my retainer.

    ¡°That so, boyo? She doesn''t look so fine. Looks a bit skittish in fact. So why don''t you let her tell me she''s fine, eh?¡±

    I snarled a bit at this.

    ¡°Sachiko, answer the man,¡± Jiraiya gruffly ordered, wanting to prevent a blood-bath.

    ¡°I thank you, sir, but as my master said, I am fine,¡± Sachiko replied hesitantly.

    ¡°That so. You don''t sound too sure. How long you been in service to these?¡± By this point, I was actively restraining myself from unleashing my Presence. Only the fact that it would have meant my irritation was for nothing and I¡¯d possibly blown the mission, allowing slavers to escape, helped me keep it together. Sachiko looked at me for permission to answer, and after a moment I gave a curt nod.

    ¡°I have been in service to Master''s family all my life, sir.¡± At this, they seemed to deflate a bit, and I turned and began to leave as they muttered to each other.

    ¡°Jiraiya, Yasu, Sachiko. Come.¡± I ordered curtly as they followed after me. Far too soon though I heard running feet behind us, and as I turned, I saw the man coming up again.

    ¡°Hey, girlie. If you ever want to leave your master, search me out, ok?¡± I''d had enough by now. I was close enough, and without really thinking about it, my left hand positioned Red Night''s Sky for the draw as my right hand moved slowly into position over the hilt.

    I wasn¡¯t still not sure what I would have done. Whether I would have drawn and left a light cut, or taken a hand perhaps, or just killed him. Whatever my intention, Sachiko decided to distract me, and pretended to trip into a merchant''s stall, knocking some wares to the ground.

    She bowed, and apologized to merchant and to me as she gathered them up, and I closed my eyes and regained my equilibrium.

    ¡°I apologize Master. Will you be punishing me when we get to the Inn?¡± The statement was strange enough coming from her, and had that familiar overtone of possible sexual implication; it helped me regain equilibrium. I lightly snorted, and replied.

    ¡°Of course. Your clumsiness practically demands it,¡± I drawled. When the man made as if to speak again, he realized that a rather larger, and scarier, Jiraiya was already at his side, and had begun to squeeze his shoulder enough to cause real bruising.

    ¡°I think you should go back to your drinking, sir. Wouldn''t want to have an accident, would we?¡± he asked menacingly, using a tiny fraction of presence to do so. The man shook his head mutely and with a push from Jiraiya returned back to his friends and left.

    When we finally arrived at the Inn, I went immediately to our suites and sat down on the bed in my bedroom. Sachiko came up moments later, moving like herself, and silently pulled me into a hug, a rare action for her.

    ¡°I''m sorry that was so hard on you, Daichi-sama.¡±

    ¡°I was just so pissed off. I didn''t like seeing you like that. And the thought of someone doing those things to you...¡± I said quietly as I sat next to her at the edge of the bed and rested my head on her shoulder, my arm around her waist.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°I''ve told you this before. But seriously, Sachiko-chan, if there''s ever anything I''m doing that you disagree with, or something you think I should do or would like from me, I want you to tell me. You''ve been with me for a long time, and are important to me.¡± She gave a soft, happy smile at this and blushed prettily.

    ¡°I will. Thank you, Daichi-sama.¡± And in that moment, as I sat next to her, and breathed in the subtle floral scent of her perfume, and felt the soft curve of her flank, I realized I had far more problems than just this mission, and my emotions at seeing Sachiko acting like I was cruel to her.

    It seemed that I was finally entering sexual puberty. And I was attracted to Sachiko. This was a recipe for disaster.

    ========================================

    As soon as you hit a certain stage in your physical development, you become interested in sex. This is bad enough the first time around. While sex is this awesome, amazing thing you really want to try, that must be way better than simply jacking off, you don''t really know what it is, how it looks, how it feels, all the foreplay and post-coital cuddling. You have an idea, but no true concept of the experience. So, while you want it, badly, and build it up in your mind, hugely, it is a distant dream rather than an achievable reality.

    The second time around through puberty is worse. Sex is no mystery. It may not be as awesome as you hoped, when you were first a virgin, but it''s still pretty damned awesome. And it''s far, far more concrete. You know what sex is, the many forms it takes and games that surround it. And you just fucking want it. Puberty messes with your hormones so much that you''re basically a horn-dog willing to fuck anything that moves, and many things that don''t - and that''s without knowing what sex even really is. With that knowledge, it''s a hundred times worse.

    Seriously, if there were any issue with this reincarnation business, it would be going through puberty multiple times.

    Puberty''s pretty sneaky too. Before you''re aware of wanting sex that first time (again), you''re almost like how I would imagine a recovered alcoholic is. Inside their home, having avoided the sight or scent of alcohol for months, they''re fine. Then they''re at a party, they see a drink, and they just want it.

    It was the same for me. As soon as I thought of sex with Sachiko, dear god but I wanted her. Screw the five years difference, the fact she was my retainer and basically incapable of actually consenting, all the high thoughts I had had about her and not treating her the way so many other little shits treated their retainers. I just wanted to screw her. Going back to the alcoholic analogy, it was like being followed by an open bar. Constant, easy temptation just a few feet away.

    I had no idea how I was going to deal with it, as well as starting a mission involving flesh peddlers while dealing with this. I barely made it through dinner, and almost couldn''t stand looking at Sachiko''s face for fear that my thoughts would somehow be transmitted. She seemed a bit perplexed at my behavior, though I think Jiraiya knew what was going on. Yasu I could never really get a read off of, unless I was actively and deeply sensing his chakra, which required more focus than I could spare in that state.

    After dinner, as I lay in my bed in pajamas after a bath, I was thinking of this very problem when I heard a knock on the door.

 Chapter 30: Interlude 4: Problems

    Chapter 30: Interlude 4: Problems

    Sachiko realized when she was fourteen that she had problems. She had always been protective of her master, as was proper. And she had been highly impressed by her master too; he was so strong and driven, and she had been taught to value strength and drive. But that was before her master had revealed himself to her while practicing with Presence.

    She realized then that whatever he was, her master was greater than any human she''d ever met. She didn''t think he realized how much he had revealed, but even so, it was impossible for someone so young to have so much depth to their self. She didn''t think it was possible for anything less than a god to be like that.

    It wasn¡¯t just a matter of power, though her master had that to spare. No, it was a matter of depth, of conceptual weight, of intrinsic identity. Even as a child ¨C if such a word even had meaning to an entity such as her master ¨C her master¡¯s sheer Presence was enough to give pause to even the greatest of ninja. But despite her suspicions her master was not a god; he had said so, and her master had never lied to her.

    If not a god though, he was still certainly something far greater than merely human.

    After that, she began feeling more than just respect for her master. Adoration. Worship. She wasn''t sure what the right word was. As a proper kunoichi, her master was already her lord and master. But after she grew to understand that facet of him (not all of it, no, she was not capable, but even just that sliver that her paltry abilities allowed) he was so much more.

    She knew she was unworthy, but that he valued her anyways, and the sheer honor of that, of having someone like her master valuing her, and not just as a tool... That was a heady thing. She understood what her family had done to her, as a child. What they had had done to them decades ago in turn. What she may yet do to any future children of her own.

    She had been shaped to serve. And not just to serve someone worthy, no, she had been shaped to serve whoever she must. A degree of fanaticism in one such as her was expected, especially if the one she served was in fact worthy of her loyalty. But combining that conditioning with a being like her master... it was no surprise how devoted she had become.

    She didn''t really realize how bad it had gotten until she started planning how to kill the useless scum (unworthy) masquerading as kunoichi that would approach him, bother him. Then, forced to acknowledge her feelings, she realized that it went beyond simple adoration, or worship.

    She loved him. She loved him the way a priest might love their god. She loved him the way a retainer might love their lord. She loved him the way one might love their best friend. And in time, if he allowed it, she might grow to love him further.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    But, at the time, he was too young. So, her fantasies remained just that. Fantasies. And she had so many. Of his requesting her to help train ¡°practical seduction¡± skills. Or his using her as she had been long-ago warned may happen, or perhaps allowing her liberties as a reward for some great service.

    It may not have been proper for a retainer, let alone the servant of one so high (even just accounting his political rank). But it was what it was, and as a ninja she had been trained to accept reality.

    She was not jealous. She knew that he would have others, which was only right. If nothing else he was an Uzumaki noble, and there were high hopes his ability with the Adamantine Chains, sealing, or even just chakra manipulation might breed true. Uzushio would doubtless press as many concubines on him as he was willing to accept, and whoever he eventually took to wife would be of the loftiest station.

    So be it. She just wanted whatever he might be willing to give, and fantasized about getting what she wanted. So she grew, and he grew, and she maintained herself on the insubstantial dreams of fantasy. And she made her decision.

    She knew her master better than anyone else living, and she knew that in time he would be able to accept her. And so, she waited for that day, and planned what she would say, how she would shift reality to become the fantasy and turn dream into practicality. For all her lord¡¯s wisdom and power, he had always been somewhat vulnerable to lighter forms of soft manipulation. And those techniques which she had used long ago to become his retainer would serve her well in her newer endeavor.

    After that day (awaited so long), when he had had to pretend to be taking advantage of her, she realized that he was finally old enough to notice her. Honestly, she¡¯d had a good bit of fun with it. Her master had always had a bit of a ¡°white samurai,¡± a somewhat impractical level of chivalry and kindness towards the subtler sex.

    It taught her a valuable lesson too; though she thought that sort of role-play might be a good bit of fun, she realized she¡¯d need to wait until any relationship was better established. She just hoped her lord would entertain her ideas in time. She had, after all, been saving herself in the once-distant hope that he¡¯d eventually notice her, want her; it was inconceivable to her that he might want someone else¡¯s leavings, after all.

    But equally she was a woman in full flower of youth, and it was well known that chakra training increased all forms of vitality. It was little surprise that she had turned to literature and titillating stories from the hot-springs. After all, suppose her master did want to get some hands-on training? She could hardly provide anything other than the best training possible; anything less than her best would just be dishonorable. Or at least so she reassured herself.

    She was so filled with hope, and happiness, that one such as he would pay attention to her, the attention she so dearly desired. She almost couldn''t go and actually talk to him.

    Instead, she had had to lay down, and bite her lip so she might not be heard (but gently, so as to not leave a mark), and then after some minutes bathe herself before she left for his room.

    It was the time to take the first step, of what she knew would be (hoped to be, had to be) many.

    She just hoped she had judged the situation correctly.

    She knocked on his door.

 Chapter 31: Conversation

    Chapter 31: Conversation

    I heard a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± I called out.

    Normally I''d have been more worried about an ambush, but we were in a suite where my room was behind those of my supposed guards and servant. If someone had gotten past Jiraiya without a ruckus I was already fucked; frankly, that was so unlikely as to be implausible.

    The door, a sliding wood and paper screen, slid open and Sachiko came through looking worried.

    ¡°Hey Sachiko. What is it?¡± I asked.

    She peeked up, then looked down at the floor again. By that point, I was a bit worried; maybe she had noticed my attraction and was upset, or didn''t appreciate it, but was having the issues one might expect from a loyal retainer in that situation.

    ¡°I noticed that you seemed attracted to me today, Daichi-sama.¡± Fuck. Well, I thought, nothing to do but apologize.

    ¡°I''m sorry Sachiko. I know that it might have been awkward. I promise I would never do anything unless you wanted me to.¡± By that I meant to reassure, but from her shrinking into herself, that wasn''t quite the case. ¡°Sachiko, can you tell me what exactly is wrong? What I could do to make it right?¡±

    ¡°I want you to!¡± she blurted out.

    I wasn''t really expecting it to be what it turned out to be. I may have once been an adult, and doubtless if I were a third party looking on I¡¯d have easily spotted the signs, but those things are always far harder for those inside the situation to understand. I overcomplicated things, wondering if signs were really what they appeared, or whether I was projecting my own hopes. Her general poker-face didn¡¯t help things either.

    ¡°I''m sorry?¡± I was too stunned to even process what she¡¯d said, but she obviously took that as my needing extensive clarification. I was a bit oblivious, but not entirely stupid.

    ¡°I''ve wanted you to notice me for years, master. You have no idea how glad I was today, that you would be attracted to one like me.¡± She was actually crying a bit.

    I was in shock. I''d never seen Sachiko like this. Which made her technique all the more effective at getting under my skin. I never dealt well with people crying, women in particular.

    ¡°I know it was inappropriate my lord, that I''m not worthy. I''m so, so sorry for failing you like this.¡± By now there was a bit of blubbering and her voice was broken in between sobs. Her emotions were a mess to my senses.

    And then I had an idea. ¡°Sachiko,¡± I stated with a bit of bite to my voice. She looked up at me from behind her hair and tears with a worried face. ¡°Come here.¡± And after she slowly approached, I pulled her into a tight hug. When she hugged me back, I was pretty damned relieved. ¡°Have a seat,¡± I told her while pulling her down onto the bed next to me.

    ¡°So you''ve been attracted to me for years, huh?¡± I asked. She was still crying a bit, but was calming down and I wanted to both get more information and distract her.

    ¡°Yes, my lord. For about four years now. A few months after we moved to Konohagakure.¡±

    ¡°Well, that''s very flattering. Thanks,¡± I said in a teasing tone.

    That part of me that never stopped its logical analysis though was blaring in alarm. That was right around when we¡¯d experimented with my Presence. I should never have exposed her to such mind-warping abilities. I¡¯d had years to recover, and a will strong enough to properly face death in the first place, and that was still probably the single most defining experience I¡¯d ever had. Even so watered down, done to a teenage mind¡­

    On the other hand, it could have been the isolation. A continued form of imprinting onto her master. Picking a safe target for the affections of her budding body. Any number of factors, really.

    ¡°You shouldn''t be surprised, master. There were after all enough of those fangirls,¡± she snarked with a soft smile.

    ¡°Bah, like they count for anything,¡± I grumbled. My views on the man-seekers was well known. ¡°Though this does give new insight into why you were so focused on protecting me from them.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    She blanched a bit, and looked down again. ¡°I know it wasn''t my place, master. And that you''ll have others, and marry someone of much higher station than this one. But, still, master, I want you. I can accept anything, do anything, for you. Punish me for exceeding my station; just, I beg, don''t reject me master,¡± she said softly pleading.

    ¡°Please Sachiko, the begging is unnecessary. You know I wouldn''t,¡± I chided. This was a bit obvious of a manipulation, especially for her.

    ¡°If it would convince you, my lord, I am not above debasing myself,¡± she replied with a half smile and a bit of humor in her tone.

    ¡°Don''t. You know all I want from you is honesty. But I have to say, I''m glad you feel this way; I doubt I''d be able to give you up.¡± At this her face was radiant, though still blotchy from her tears. She turned towards me, and buried her face into my chest, hugging me tightly.

    ¡°Thank you, Daichi-sama. Thank you, thank you.¡± She drew herself back and without hesitation darted in and gave several rapid kisses to my mouth, staying in contact for a longer, more serious kiss with the last one. I was in shock, and kissed her back for five, ten, fifteen seconds before regaining my equilibrium and pulling away with a shit-eating grin.

    ¡°That was awesome. Thank you, Sachiko.¡±

    ¡°That wasn''t all I''d do, Daichi-sama,¡± she said slyly.

    ¡°Urgh! I''m going to hate myself for this, but no. Not yet. It''s far too early, and I''m still too young. We''ll wait for that until I''m sixteen, alright?¡±

    She gasped in protest and pinched my waist; it was half-way between painful and tickling, and very uncomfortable. ¡°That¡¯s far too long!¡± Then, with a fox-like expression she arched her back a bit, showing off and pressing into my arm. ¡°And besides, do you really want to wait that long?¡±

    She had a point. It wasn¡¯t unusual for boys to be married at thirteen or fourteen; marriages among nobles could occur at even younger ages, though were rarely consummated until older. Sachiko herself was five years older than I, at least physically, and already well past the normative age for sexual activity there. Having her wait until twenty-one would, I reasoned, be unnecessarily cruel to her ¨C and to me.

    ¡°Fine, fine!¡± I quickly capitulated. ¡°But no earlier than my being fourteen, ok?¡±

    She looked disappointed that I just had to laugh and pull her close.

    ¡°That''s not to say we can''t do other things. I''m happy to kiss, and play a bit, and have a lot of skinship. But that''s it, ok?¡± I said mock sternly with a smile. That said, I was serious.

    She looked up with a vulpine grin. ¡°It''s not what I want, but I''ve waited four years already just for this possibility. I can wait another year and a half. Though I hope you will forgive your poor servant testing your resolution, master.¡± I laughed.

    ¡°So long as you don¡¯t go too far, and can forgive being disappointed by your stubborn master. Alright. It''s late, and it''s going to be hard enough getting to sleep as it is. We should go to bed.¡±

    When she began to get into my bed, I clarified. ¡°Our own beds.¡± She gave an exaggerated pout, and pulled her dressing-gown back into position.

    ¡°Fine, master. I won''t tempt you tonight then,¡± she replied while grinning and pouting. It was too damned cute.

    ¡°You already have, and I think you know it,¡± I said chuckling. ¡°So, anything else before you leave?¡±

    She looked at me, and bit her lip a moment in thought before nodding in nervous resolution. ¡°Yes. Would you close your eyes for a moment?¡±

    I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. And, honestly, to benefit from whatever she was planning.

    There was a rustle of cloth, and then a moment later she spoke again. ¡°Alright, now open!¡±

    I opened my eyes and saw quite the sight. She was posed provocatively, and though nothing critical was exposed, I could only have described her as barely wearing her nightgown; even that would have been generous.

    It was odd. We trained together, went camping together, watched over each other waking and sleeping. We had seen each other in all varieties of dress and undress. But that moment was still so damned alluring.

    I may have been staring with my mouth open.

    She grinned. ¡°So, master,¡± she drawled huskily, ¡°do you like what you see?¡±

    I nodded dumbly, while she gave me a bright smile and quick hug. ¡°Thank you, master! Sleep well!¡± and then she darted out of the room before I could recover. I shook my head, laughing at myself and the situation.

    ¡°You too, you minx,¡± I mumbled. Outside my room I could sense her spin around before leaning her back against the wall and bringing up her clenched fists in victory. Her emotions were even more triumphant than my own.

    I could barely sleep.

    In retrospect, the young woman played me like a fiddle.

    ========================================

    The morning after, while we were eating breakfast together, Jiraiya saw fit to make some commentary.

    ¡°So, I heard someone made a little late night visit?¡± he said. Sachiko looked up from her rice with what passed for shock on her face, while I spun my head to face toward him. Even Yasu seemed a bit interested and shocked.

    ¡°By your happiness the conversation went well. Congratulations, nee-san.¡± Wow. Even Yasu was commenting. I was glad he was supportive.

    ¡°You know, Daichi, if you ever need any advice, I¡¯m quite the expert,¡± Jiraiya began to say with blas¨¦ indifference to my growing horror. ¡°In fact, tell you what. I¡¯ll even help the first time to make sure...¡±

    I was young and in lust. I was definitely feeling my oats and my general overprotectiveness was in full force.

    ¡°Ero-Jiraiya,¡± I interrupted, my voice cold and controlled. ¡°I''d be careful, or I''ll put a blood-restriction seal somewhere you really don''t appreciate it next time we spar.¡± He blanched, and very quietly returned to his meal.

 Chapter 32: Blooding

    Chapter 32: Blooding

    After we finished breakfast, one filled with little glances between Sachiko and I, Jiraiya felt it necessary to give us a warning.

    ¡°Remember your characters. We checked the room for listeners, but everything out there, you should assume we''re being watched.¡±

    Urgh, I thought. I had no desire at the time to stop giving little flirty glances.  Or to stop receiving them either.

    After leaving the room, we went down to the main space of the inn. To give a bit of perspective, the inn was larger than a traditional bed and breakfast, or even what you''d think of as an inn for travelers from the middle ages. It was more like an ancient hotel, one of the big ones with clothes and jewelry shops, conference rooms, restaurants, bars and all other amenities one could need while on the move.

    The one we were in focused on high-value clientele; large volume traders, wealthier landowners, government officials and the like. It was a place somewhat known for their secondary services too; you could get a dancer, musician, or more ¡°intimate¡± entertainment. That wasn''t too unusual; what was unusual was that the establishment was rumored to be accommodating even beyond that.

    In short, it was the kind of place where they''d likely have contacts with the local branch of a flesh-peddling group, if only to replace their workers assigned to crueler clients, or those with particular tastes. The whole thing offended my sensibilities, and pissed me off something fierce.

    I was never someone to categorically decry something like prostitution, so long as it was regulated to medically and legally protect both the workers and their clients. But children? Slavery? Non-consensual activities? Unfair systems designed to keep the prostitutes destitute? None of that was acceptable.

    But I had a mission, so I channeled my anger and distaste.  It wasn''t hard to get back into the character of an obnoxious, demanding young noble shit.

    We went down to the garden, and I rather demonstrably instructed Sachiko to ¡°be of some use, and fetch me tea,¡± while Jiraiya searched out the manager. Sachiko returned just ahead of the manager. In his full sight, I took a sip of the tea then threw the remainder in her face.

    ¡°What was that! How useless are you? Are the punishments insufficient? Should I sell you to someone capable of training you, you useless creature?¡± I berated her, all the while she apologized and cringed. Then I turned to Yasu. ¡°Get her out of my sight. Keep her seiza to reflect on her failures until I return and correct her.¡±

    I doubted I''d have been able to do it the day before, but with our new developments in our relationship I actually found it far easier to separate the role I was playing from myself. Yasu grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off.

    I turned to the manager.  ¡°I''ll punish her for your embarrassment as well, Manager-san.¡± One of the nice things about the language: you could address people by title instead of name.

    ¡°Ahahah, what embarrassment, sir? You were merely disciplining an unruly servant. I am sorry to have intruded. I hope you have been enjoying your stay.¡±

    ¡°It''s been quite decent, thank you,¡± I said, though my expression was quite dissatisfied.

    ¡°Is there anything I could do to make it better?¡± he inquired unctuously.

    ¡°Well, I had heard that you provided full services? I was thinking of acquiring someone to play with. If I liked them enough, I might even replace my current servant. Her punishments just aren''t having the same effect anymore.¡±

    ¡°Of course sir, that can be arranged. Do you have any preferences? We can find several that fit your needs, then have them waiting for your inspection this evening.¡±

    ¡°I''m not sure. I''m fairly discerning, you understand. Perhaps someone younger, so I might train them properly from the beginning, get them broken to my will before they are older and set in their ways? Would it be possible to speak with your supplier, and see their full inventory in the age of, shall we say ten to fifteen? I would be willing to double your usual cut to make up for the inconvenience.¡±

    ¡°I''m not sure, sir, my suppliers are very private people...¡±

    Well, let''s see if more money is enough. To help things along, I gave the hand-signal for Sachiko, watching in hiding, to apply a minor trust genjutsu.

    ¡°Triple your usual cut then. And I may end up taking back more than one, so long as they have something worth it.¡±

    Between the genjutsu and the money, he was sold.  ¡°I should be able to do something, sir. Perhaps you might return at five in the afternoon, and we will see what we can manage.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. We''ll be here then.¡± And so we left to do more snooping about town. Around two in the afternoon we returned and after our late lunch reviewed the folders on all the reported missing persons and the sketches done by the municipal police. If there were any of the girls there, we''d get them back.

    Unfortunately, we were after the general organization, which we suspected had ties far beyond just Okutari. After all, you can''t really sell people in the same area you took them from. We wanted the other centers, the transporters, the whole damned network. So while it would be cruel, we (more precisely I) would be marking as many as possible with a tracker seal and waiting until they reached their final destinations before launching a series of raids.

    Sure enough, the afternoon rolled around and we had the meeting. We were taken to a warehouse district on the outskirts of the town, and then blindfolded. If we weren''t trained for that sort of thing, it might have been enough, as it was I knew which warehouse''s hidden basement we were led into, and where that entrance was even without scanning the area with my sensing.

    Given the number of the people I was sensing, this was either a major hub or the criminal organization was larger and had more backing than we had realized. There were even chakra signals for a chunin accompanied by a pair of genin.  I memorized all three, as they were likely among the priority targets with additional payouts as listed in our secondary objectives.

    Finally, we were led into a rather nice room, and a full two dozen girls aged ten to fifteen were led in. Some, typically the youngest, had clearly not been broken yet, while others were mere shells, likely from repeated rapes, beatings, and drug or genjutsu applications. I wanted to kill everyone there. But, that wouldn''t solve the problem, and it wouldn''t complete the mission.

    Instead, I went up and down the line, prodding and inspecting them, or at least that''s what it looked like. Instead, when I pinched them or poked particularly hard, I''d mark them with a seal that I could remotely ¡°ping¡± to get a location. The range wasn''t that great, a bit under ten miles, but we had Pelicans to do the actual following; these had the latest station-keeping seals, and could actually maintain position based off of a beacon. If truly necessary we could follow as many as half a dozen different targets without even leaving the town.

    I wished I could save all the girls, then, but as that wasn''t possible, I went with the next best alternative, if one of the more difficult morally. I picked a girl to buy, one that was clearly a fighter from the marks on her.  From the look in her eyes and the freshness of her marks she still hadn''t been broken yet. We had the expense account for it, after all. She was younger, at a guess ten or eleven years old, and clearly didn''t know whether to be relieved or whether she was going from the frying pan to the fire. We haggled before settling on a fairly exorbitant fee, then left the way we had come in before returning to the inn.

    Over the next few days we watched while shipments of girls went off on a pair of river barges and a single land-caravan. All the while, we were building up a massive dossier on the organization and their activities; it was far larger than it could have been without at least some level of governmental coverage. It was likely a highly placed lord, or at the very least an influential bureaucrat, was involved. When we caught them, I was going to fucking break them whatever their political backing.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    And, unlike many other ninja, I''d get away with it.  My position as a samurai could be argued to demand it, in fact, and I fully planned to take advantage of those gaps within the law.

    Finally, more than a week later, Jiraiya gave us the OK to launch the first attacks. The two river barges had traveled up and down the river before most of the girls scattered.  We tracked the distribution points they went through, and communicated back to Konoha. The client after being informed of the extent of the rot had apparently expanded the mission parameters, hiring two other teams to hit those regions and track down whatever girls they could find. The land-caravan went to what we discovered to be a hidden bandit stronghold near Okutari. We thought it might be the main center for their operations in the area, and were planning to hit it after rolling up their people in Okutari itself.

    Finally the time came. We launched the operation. First, we hit the warehouse. The fight itself was pretty unremarkable. Untrained thugs, no challenge. The experience though. The experience was one I would remember for all my lives.

    People might talk about the look of it, the blood and such. It was possibly because of my experience with violence on TV, but the look wasn''t actually that bad. Given the poor lighting and speed, it was a mess but not really any worse than horsing about while painting.

    The smell... The smell of the blood and shit and piss. The smell was bad, but only afterwards, when I had time to take it in.  Afterwards, for years, the smell was a definite memory trigger. But during the assault, I was so up on my adrenaline and focus, I never really noticed.

    The taste was pretty fucking awful. Not noticing that the liquid on your lips was specks of your enemies'' blood, and then unconsciously licking your lips and tasting the rust and iron and salt and realizing ¡°oh shit, that''s someone''s blood, I hope to fuck my immune system is strong enough.¡± Not a pleasant sensation, or a pleasant thought.

    No, in the moment, the really unpleasant thing was the sound. The yells and screams and even begging weren''t that bad. Again, I barely noticed it in the moment.

    What was bad was the sounds of blades cutting through flesh. What was worse was the sound of metal on bone.

    I had always been bothered by that sound, and then to be hearing it, feeling it transmitted through my blades into my hand, up my bones and then sinking into my brain. That was what I''d remember about my first kills the most. The sound of it.

    And if you thought a wind blade might have sounded different, you''d be right. It sounded like a high-speed bone saw as it cut through limbs and necks and ribs and bodies. Even more hideous a sound than plain steel on bone. For years I¡¯d shiver thinking back at those sounds, and I developed a far greater apathy to the sound of metal on bone than I¡¯d had before.

    There was a reason most ninja ended up at least partially insane.

    The operation itself was highly successful. We had total-casualties for the enemy thugs, either killed or disabled, and captured the chunin and both genin as well as some fat fuck in a fancy outfit we figured might be a local boss. Until we could interrogate them properly, we kept the HVTs (high value targets) in prisoner scrolls. Jiraiya went to fetch the town guard while Sachiko, Yasu and I secured the scene, gathering any documents and treating the worse-off slaves. Soon enough the guard arrived and we passed off the prisoners and those we''d recently freed, then went off at best speed to the stronghold in the woods.

    The stronghold was a semi-permanent camp set up inside a palisade surrounded by a ditch; it reminded me a bit like a motte-and-bailey, but without the motte or keep. Overall, we estimated forty to fifty bandits and a similar number of slaves.

    If it weren''t for the captives, I''d have destroyed the entire camp within seconds with something strategic. I was ready to be done with the business.  As it was, we needed a close assault. We had identified a barracks for the slaves, and were expecting that a number of them were also in tents or huts as entertainment for their captors.

    We decided to go in stealthily at night rather than push a full-court assault. Between my sensing, Yasu''s sensing and spotting, and Sachiko''s genjutsu we managed to sneak up and kill the sentries.

    A stealth kill like that was actually not as simple as it sounds. There was a bit of technique to it. First I got really close. Then I grabbed the target around the neck with your left arm, almost as if I were going to put them in a choke hold, but twist their head up and to the left, leaving the throat nicely exposed. I slammed my knee, hard, into the base of their spine, and pulled them backwards, taking them off their balance. Then, with them stunned and unable to twist or resist, I slammed the knife home into the throat, and drag it up and out to the side, making sure to get all the major blood vessels.

    If I could, I actually wanted to avoid cutting the windpipe; it made this bubbling hissing sound that was a bit of a giveaway. It wasn¡¯t loud, per se, just unnatural and could warn other sentries. The other thing to watch out for is that I didn''t cut my own arm in the heat of the moment; that was part of what the partial-take-down helped with. It helped me position myself in the darkness and gave me the time to make sure of my knife¡¯s target. Had I lacked training, and worried about messing up with actually getting the blood-vessels, I could have taken a step back, extending the victim''s body further, and then stabbed through the stomach, directing the wounds up towards the lungs and making sure to slice the diaphragm. There were other methods; going after the organs in the small of the back, for example, but the one above sufficed that night.

    #KonohaChildren¡¯sEducation, I thought darkly at the time.

    With the sentries dead, we were able to go door to door and tent to tent in pairs. I worked with Sachiko and Yasu worked with Jiraiya. We didn''t have the ability to take a whole load of prisoners; especially not without waking the encampment up, and risking the captives. It was bloody work, but it was almost unreal. Just, sleeping, then dead. Sleeping with a captive, then dead without her even noticing. Again, and again, and again.

    Until eventually we came to the center of the camp and the estimated leader''s tent. He didn''t get the same quick kill as his fellows; he got a strong sedative injected into the neck, then a pillow pushed over his face until he passed out and could be restrained. We made another pass through the camp to make sure we didn''t miss anything, then woke the captives and gathered them up away from the bodies.

    The operation complete, it was time to find out who was profiting behind the scenes. I had asked for and received permission from Jiraiya to try out a new interrogation method. Back on Earth, a family friend was special forces, and at one point had talked about the differences in different interrogation ideologies. How the Americans tended to be very enthusiastic but ultimately unskilled; they were good at getting people to talk, but not so much at getting high quality information. The British typically excelled at longer-term, more mental interrogations that might take time, but carefully broke the subject and got all the information possible. But that the Israelis had some of the most interesting techniques from a scientific point of view, as well as timeliness and efficacy.

    Apparently, the Israelis liked to use something called ¡°shaking¡±. Not nearly so terrifying a name as other techniques, right? The way that it worked was that they would take the subject, and either using a chair on a spring, or just holding them tightly by the collar, shake them so that their head was moving a lot. Kind of like a head-banger in a concert, except a bit more extreme and including a lateral motion that particularly rattled the brain.

    The interesting thing was that this would cause symptoms similar to delirium and drunkenness. The disorientation was meant to be so intense that the subject would often think they were dreaming, or talking to their comrades rather than an interrogator. Best of all, the effect could take less than ten minutes to become effective, and caused little enough long term harm that it could either be repeated, or allow other interrogation methods later. Finally, it left no marks.

    When I, thinking as a ninja, realized I might need to carry out the occasional field interrogation, I decided that that method might be an effective one, and so I had storage seal with a ¡°Field Interrogation Station.¡±  It was basically a chair with a seal to shake the subject properly, with controlled intensity. That mission was to be the first actual live-test of my device, and I was interested to see how it would perform.

    The backup plan was to use one of my overpowered genjutsu to make our prisoners believe and trust us. That was judged to have a greater risk of breaking their minds, though, hence it being the backup.  Really, no one liked seeing me use genjutsu. It was just disturbing.

    As for really good truth-sensing, we couldn¡¯t manage it.  Even relatively pathetic ninja had too much control for a polygraph set-up to work.  I had previously experimented with Sachiko and Yasu on how I might use touch-contact and my deep scans to watch the chakra-flow in the brain and try and detect when they were lying or telling the truth, but it turned out far too hard to get good baselines without much more study than I was willing to give the subject.

    The shaking test proved highly successful. Within an hour, we had the leader of the bandit camp spilling his guts about all his most important contacts, and even got the name of the Provincial Police Commander running the corrupt guards and inspectors who had been helping the scum from the government''s side.

    I kept my promise, and used the nastiest interrogation genjutsu I had access to.  It had just the right amount of pain to agonize and incapacitate, leaving the victim unable to even suicide properly.  Said commander screamed for days until he died, but he gave us a list of everyone involved first.  The autopsy wasn¡¯t sure what got him in the end, between a combination of infection after clawing out his own eyes, a lack of food or water, tension, and elevated heart rate from the pain.

    The whole affair had been a nasty, dirty piece of business. But we were doing good work. That was important to me. I would live a long time; keeping myself steady mentally was a priority. It would be too easy to become monster rather than man if I wasn''t careful, so I was wary of becoming too easy with immoral actions. Killing, in the right circumstances was fine, but supporting, or even tolerating real evil like that slavery was not.

    Not when I could do something about it.

    Looking back, I definitely lost my temper, and if I were to do it again I¡¯d not have tortured the man to death.  But I¡¯d have dared anyone to look at the children we rescued and say it wasn¡¯t merited.

    Our first C-rank a massive success, we returned to Okutari for a rest period before heading out on more missions.

 Chapter 33: Armor Up

    Chapter 33: Armor Up

    The eighteen months after our first C-rank passed quickly. We were kept fairly busy, and after our field promotion to chunin a couple months into running missions Jiraiya was recalled for other tasks. We didn''t just run missions, of course; we furthered our training too. Sachiko, Yasu and I cross-trained each other in our specialties; their combat potential improved significantly with their increased skill in elemental jutsu due to my training. Yasu and I learned more about poisons and infiltration, while Sachiko and I went camping for a combined several months and would basically play advanced hide-and-seek with Yasu to improve our stealth and tracking skills.

    We always lost.  It kind of sucked.

    Probably the biggest boost to our combat potential was through my sealing studies. After I finished the seal-sword creation seals a couple months into our deployment at Okutari, I turned my focus to Body-Seals. Body seals were one of the highest expressions of the art, and extensive body-seal sets were a hallmark of the elite retinues that surrounded Uzushiogakure''s Master Sealers. While my youth and other focuses had prevented me from exploring those avenues before, I decided that with our increased combat tempo and the potential of meeting stronger foes in the future that we needed some edges.

    I had a lot of political capital within the Sealing Department. My Cyclone and Pelican designs had saved Uzushiogakure, and catapulted Whirlpool into the ranks of the greatest nations of the day. I was in favor with the Priests, in part due to my actions concerning Kyubi (who was still, very annoyingly, in a coma). Hikaru jii-san had advanced to become the third highest ranking member of the department. Kaa-san had been instrumental in applying some of my ideas as to how to use variable shields to create a kind of jet engine; I received a lot of the credit, and the brand new Sea-Hawks under development at the time were slated to be the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in over a millenium (when they were eventually released as a production model, at least). The Peregrine and Osprey were both listed under my projects, though they were still on the drawing board, and I had designed a number of specialized munitions that were in reasonably heavy use. And not least, I was hailed as perhaps the greatest sealing genius, ever. So, when I finally decided to flex my political muscle there, it was relatively easy to get advanced Body-Seal arrays and armor designs.

    I identified five major focuses for the armor. First, protection. This was accomplished by a variable-setting defense system that operated on passive and active levels. Passively, the seals could detect when the body''s integrity was damaged, for example by being cut or burned, and apply a localized protection to reduce the severity of the damage. A knife might cut the skin, but wouldn''t penetrate deeper unless there was tremendous force. That level of protection was always ¡°on¡± unless specifically suppressed (for example, for medical procedures), and any suppression was on a timer to reset. Chakra conversion and sealing seals would even drain hostile chakra fields while applying the counter to the enemy''s chakra. This was also fairly effective against genjutsu, especially when combined with the defenses reverse engineered from those against genjutsu and the sharingan given to the Sanbi and Kyubi. There was a store of medical chakra to accelerate healing in combat, and an automatically activated stasis seal and reverse summon directly to a hospital in case of near-fatal injury.

    At higher levels, the armor had three possible settings. Setting one, minimal protection, focused on constant active armoring of essential areas, sort of like a mystical equivalent to Kevlar body armor. Setting two was an active defense system that added detecting and stopping incoming objects that were at high speed, as well as a more general protection. It had the option to release seals to absorb and contain incoming enemy jutsu as well, though stocks of anti-juts seals were limited. Setting three, designed to go toe to toe against the greatest threats for as long as the energy stores held out, was heavier armor, almost like a miniature Susanoo, combined with seals to automatically absorb incoming enemy jutsu, a localized chakra draining field and randomly pulsed area-genjutsu disruptor.

    The second focus was on enhancing combat potential. There was an eye-aimed DEWS seal on the head, and each arm had the newest, high rate of fire version of the DEWS as well as a Cyclone Bullet Seal and a Cyclone Cannon Seal. The Cyclone Cannon Seal used a variable stack magazine that allowed the user to select which type of seal it fired, and was supplied with everything from flash-bangs and concussion rounds to Star-bursts and Gravity-Shear seals.

    The armor in setting two or three gave a strength enhancement, and elemental chakra flow was also an option. There were storage spaces for kunai, senbon, poisons, a built in poison mister (again with variable magazine), attuned seal-swords and seal-knives, reservoirs of water for jutsu and spaces for the Pelicans and any future devices too. One of the other things that the armor allowed was for the user to drain stores of their own chakra back into themselves to keep fighting for longer. While it would eventually cause chakra coil strain and even damage, and they''d likely pay for it later, it could prove useful in the middle of a fight.

    The third focus was on sensors and stealth. This included a full set of HUD enhancements for the eyes, communicator seals, and a tie in to the command and control channels for the Pelicans and any Cyclone Turrets in the area. The eye enhancements included UV, IR and chakra detection, and could adapt depending on lighting conditions, as well as limitation filter to prevent flash blindness. There were also analyzers for scents and liquids that could detect similarities to a known database of scents and poisons, as well as allowing the user to define new scents for tracking. There were volume enhancers and limitations to avoid deafening.

    Stealth-wise, the user could activate a ¡°stealth¡± mode that would suppress their chakra signature. Passively, it could restrict them down to any chakra output, though that would limit the armor and their own abilities. Actively, it used a variation of the void-shield to prevent chakra leaks, but that drained the energy stores pretty rapidly so it was only really useful when approaching a sentry to assassinate. There were also camouflage generators, and stores of vegetation from different climates to effectively unseal appropriate plant cover.

    The fourth focus was on mobility. There was the option to eye or chakra designate a target for the kawarimi or body replacement jutsu, as well as a line-of-sight shunshin seal that the user could activate without having to use hand-signs. There were limited air-mobility seals that allowed the user to jump from any height, as well as simulate a jet-pack or do some mid-air movement. The energy drain was relatively high, and the speed insufficient for proper long range flight, but it did provide mobility options for things like assaulting or infiltrating fortresses. I had left places to install the Hiraishin variant I was working on, but that was a more complex project which I wasn''t expecting to have finished any time soon.

    The last focus was on the energy stores and deploying the armor itself. Conventionally, the seals that a regular set of Body-Seals used wouldn''t be able to fit all of the functionality I wanted. The problem wasn''t space on the body for seals, since they could be collapsed. The problem was that the chakra flow went through the user''s chakra channels, and too high an output could fry them. So, the basic functionality and the command and control seals were part of the body, but a lot of seals, especially the higher level armor settings and the high energy DEWS were on pieces of metal that I had designed using techniques similar to those from my seal-swords.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    It was a major breakthrough in Body-Sealing, and I gained a fair bit more renown and respect from the Sealing Department when I sent them my notes on how it could be used.  As a result high ranking sealer retinues became much more dangerous.

    For sealing the chakra itself, I used a seal array that would detect when the user''s chakra hadn''t increased for over an hour (ie, that they had full chakra), then it would drain a percent of the total reserves every ten minutes until the user was down to ninety percent of their previous chakra level. The chakra would be stored in a seal the Priests allowed me based on those designed to contain Bijuu; it didn''t have a lot of the mental protections or the measures to prevent the chakra beasts from escaping the prison, but could store a phenomenal amount of chakra and was segregated to allow different types of chakra to be kept separate. There was a seal that could accept either chakra batteries or direct input from someone else, specifically so I could help them charge it by draining the Kyubi a bit faster than usual. There were also a number of conversion seals to convert and store the input chakra into the elemental forms needed for defensive or offensive purposes, as well as the medical chakra for healing.

    The armor was mostly kept a secret from Konohagakure. The Hokage knew that my team-mates had Body-Seals, but not the extent to which it improved our combat abilities. I was, unfortunately, still developing too much physically to get my own Body Seals, but Hikaru jii-san had agreed to apply them when I was ready. But, I was much more suited to direct combat than my team-mates, and so I was very comforted by their improved protection and ability to lay on the damage even without a commensurate upgrade to myself.

    Right around the time I finished designing and applying the armor system, the Sea-Hawk and Peregrines were released. The Sea-Hawk was basically an upgraded Pelican. It went about Mach 1.4, and had slightly superior stock sensors, a faster maneuvering system, and a couple extra slots for custom weapons like seeker-missiles or heavier munitions. The Sea-Hawk''s main issue was that it consumed more chakra than the Pelican, and so was mainly suited for use by Chunin or above.

    The Peregrine, on the other hand, was the smaller, stealthier cousin to the Pelican. With similar chakra requirements and higher speed but a smaller frame, shorter range, and fewer weapons, the Peregrine had finer sensors, could hover, and could attach itself to trees or other objects and fold in its wings for camouflage. It also had a genjutsu cloaking ability. The Peregrine had a somewhat higher mark-up due to the difficulty of the small, precision seals that were needed to fit everything onto the frame, but was highly suited to stealth and reconnaissance missions.

    I even heard a story about a genin using it for a remote assassination of a rebel Jonin in Water-Country. He tracked the Jonin to a safe-house, folded the wings and used hover-mode to fly the Peregrine in through a window, down a hidden tunnel and up to the door of the Jonin''s room. Then he used the sensors to find the heat signature of the sleeping Jonin, and shot him through the wall.

    The Osprey, which was soon to be released, was the first two-driver craft. It had space for a pilot and a gunner/spotter, and was designed to loiter high above an area using sensors and communications to control the battlefield. It had several weapons that the gunner could use, including one that typically started off at ¡°heavy ordinance¡±, and filled the ¡°heavy gunship¡± role pretty well. The sensors drained a fair bit of chakra though, and so it was mostly a Jonin or above device. I acquired three each of the Sea-Hawks and Peregrines, expanding our aerial options. I also built up my stockpile of Project Thor seals; I had enough to take out any five cities when we left Okutari, though I had never deployed any of them.

    During that year and a half we were deployed in Okutari, the political situation largely stabilized itself. In the West, after Earth and Iwa gave up on their influence in Fang and Claw, their war against Wind and River country died down. Wind and River decided to go after Rain, thinking it would be relatively easy pickings without Earth Country ninja to help defend it; they were dead wrong, emphasis on the ¡°dead¡±. Hanzo showed why he was considered by many to be the strongest living shinobi, and slaughtered hundreds of enemy ninja himself before they managed to break contact.

    Savaged, Suna and Hidden Valley went for a cease-fire, and Rain became even more isolationist than usual. Everyone was left licking their wounds and without the troops or will to continue fighting, though there were a number of resentments and pressure-points that would continue to simmer beneath the surface.

    Along the borders of Fire Country, peace spread along with Fire''s influence. Grass, Waterfall and Rice all signed significant trade and mutual-defense treaties with Fire Country, while Hotsprings came under Whirlpool''s influence, as did the Land of Noodles. Frost maintained their neutrality, but instituted a Free-Trade program that proved very profitable. Altogether, the Fire Country - Whirlpool pact nations matched everyone else''s forces combined (assuming Iron maintained its traditional neutrality).

    Lightning wasn''t terribly pleased by this, especially the events in Frost, and had stepped up the harassment and border skirmishes. Kumo''s leader was an old bastard in love with combat, and Lightning''s Daimyo was a young prick who was annoyed at how much influence Whirlpool had. It was a bad situation, but the return of the Konohagakure troops and retaliations that resulted in a number of ¡°mysteriously missing¡± Lightning trade convoys quietened the situation down a bit.  Lightning couldn¡¯t afford a real war, not with so much coastline and no way to counter Whirlpool¡¯s ships or aerial assets.

    Within Water-Country, the Konohagakure troops had been drawn down and recalled, as had most of the Fire-Country Army. There was still one legion assigned to Whirlpool in return for a wing of Pelicans assigned to patrol Fire''s borders and coast. The heavy recruitment of samurai and ninja had proved sufficient to deal with any lingering malcontents.  Water-Country''s new-found prosperity under lower taxes and greater freedoms went a long way to keeping the population happy and transfer their loyalties. Uzushiogakure had instituted an air-mail system at my behest, and was making a fortune on high-priced deliveries using sealing and Pelicans. It was good practice for the pilots, paid well, and improved internal trade too.

    About six months into our stay in Okutari, Minato came to visit after taking a nearby mission, and brought along his new apprentice, Hatake Kakashi. Without his father''s dishonor and death, Kakashi was far less obnoxious than I had expected. He still had a kind of ¡°bratty but cute kid¡± vibe that would transform into ¡°obnoxious brat¡± later on, due to his belief in his superiority for graduating so young and being so renowned as a ¡°genius¡±.

    Oh, he was; don''t get me wrong. He was a genius. But so was I, and so was Minato, and Sachiko and Yasu weren''t slouches either. That kind of attitude in a ninja was pure foolishness, and Kakashi hadn''t yet internalized that while ¡°being ridiculously strong for a five year old¡± was impressive, and that he may be stronger than others were when they were five, none of that mattered. All that mattered was how strong he was compared to any other ninja, regardless of the circumstances, and he was still a genin level threat. Jiraiya would come check in on us every now and then too, which was nice. He was always amusing to banter with.

    The reason our deployment to Okutari was coming to an end was that we were offered the option to take the Jonin''s test. Konohagakure at the time also had a chunin''s exam, which we had skipped due to our field promotions. There wasn''t an international exam though, seeing as I¡¯d prevented Uzushio¡¯s destruction and thus butterflied away the Shinobi World War whose peace would have caused it.

    The jonin test actually had some overlap with the chunin exam; there was a week of somewhat extensive simulated missions, war-games, personal combat, skills and knowledge tests. Jonin candidates would play commanders, while chunin candidates would fill other roles. Finally you went in front of a board to be approved, made special jonin, or rejected. We had the skills, even if we were a bit light on experience, and my political status didn''t hurt. I was expecting at least special jonin for all of us.

    The coolest thing about the jonin exam was that it was in three months, time which we could take off for preparations. I''d previously requested a long leave to visit Hawk''s Haven and my people whom I''d never seen. So Sachiko, Yasu and I were going on a vacation.

    ===================================

    I''ve been posting another of my stories, Far Strider</a>, onto RRL.  Here''s the synopsis:

    A college student finds himself transported into a strange land with burgeoning magical powers, and is taken in by Ned Stark. Will he sink or swim in this medieval society, and will he ever get home?

    OC-insert without knowledge of Game of Thrones, new planeswalker. Slow power ramp.

    Second crossover: Star Wars (around chapter 39).

    Currently releases daily.

 Chapter 34: Birthday Celebrations

    Chapter 34: Birthday Celebrations

    It was a two day run to the sea using best speed, and then another day on a Fast Courier-Boat. A Fast-Courier was a new type of ship which used recent advancements in aerial propulsion to create a water-jet engine capable of cruising at up to sixty mph, similar to cigarette boats on Earth. Chakra intensive and heavily armed, the boat was kept small to minimize the water-resistance and thus there were few comforts. This particular Fast-Courier was one of mine, or at least my trading company''s; I had one carried on board some of my larger trading vessels. That way, it conserved chakra, but if any pirates were detected nearby they could be quickly engaged. At most, two FCBs would go with a large convoy, but it was sufficient protection given the speed and armament differences.

    The sleeping arrangements though were more of the ¡°get comfy together¡± variety than anything truly comfortable, but, luckily for us, it was just a day''s journey. Sachiko and I spent the time getting some cuddling while relaxing; Yasu spent most of his time staring off at the horizon. I had always loved the water, and going fast on it; I decided I''d get my own Fast Courier, just for relaxing on, and maybe the occasional mission that took us to sea. The trip, taken during early summer, was a fairly perfect way to transition from mission mode to my lordly duties.

    We finally arrived at Hawk''s Haven, or to be more specific, at the docks at Seal-Hawk Harbor. Hawk''s Haven was a small sized island of about five hundred square miles, a bit bigger than say Hong Kong. There were a little over forty thousand people living there, with about a quarter living in the main town and only significant port, Seal-Hawk Harbor. The rest tended to be fishermen, ship-builders, or workers in the local mines. There was sufficient croplands for the island, though only about half of it had been developed, with sheep and goats for meat. Seal-Hawk Harbor had been under a constant program of expansion since we''d taken charge, and was home to my trading company. There was a factory on the outskirts of the town for seal-sword production.

    My home, the fortified complex that I''d had built was actually on the water, off to the side of the harbor. It made sense, as it let me have my greatest concentration of weapons prepared to defend my main asset; the port town. At it''s tallest, the Nest (the name given to my home) was five stories, and it was an example of fairly typical Japanese fortifications if you ignored the seals. Between the main house and the surrounding homes and barracks, there was room for myself and my family, as well as up to two hundred servants, retainers and guards. There was docking space for one mid-sized ship and up to four patrol craft or fast couriers, of which one was occupied by a patrol craft and two by fast couriers. When we docked, we filled the last open space for smaller craft.

    Tou-san was there to greet us, and after a relatively light dinner, and bows from my servants whom I''d never met, we went to bed. The general plan was that in the morning, and for the next couple days, I''d meet my retainers, take their oaths and basically hold court. Then, there would be a party for my fourteenth birthday, after which I would tour my holdings, inspect the guards, and similar flag-waving type events. About two weeks into the stay I would be announcing the new school and militia programs designed to get the population to eighty percent chakra use and at least basic military training for all over the age of eighteen.

    It was exhausting. If it weren''t for the fact that it was my duty, I totally wouldn''t have done it. I had over a hundred and forty combat capable ninja and samurai under my banner, counting genin and samurai apprentices, and a further four hundred guardsmen. The ninja and samurai had families, many of whose oaths I also had to receive. Many of my troops were seconded to my trading company for ship protection, but there were still hundreds of oaths to take in, honors to grant, and rewards to be given. After three days of that, and the endless ¡°Fuutaka-dono¡± and bowing and scraping and gawking at the young lord, I was ready for a real vacation. Still, it was my duty, and it meant a lot to the people that were willing to (if necessary) die at my command, so I sucked it up and got on with it.

    Finally, the endless meetings were temporarily finished, and while the household scrambled to prepare for the hundreds of expected guests, I relaxed, caught up with family, sparred with Tou-san, and basically had a good time. Kaa-san and I talked about sealing, and I finally met my little sister, Ayumi-chan (who was still a total midget). It was nice, but a bit odd; I hadn''t seen them in person for almost six years, and then there we were. It was almost easier to talk to them over a communicator than in person. But we all pressed through the awkwardness until everything felt right again.

    ========================================

    Spoiler: ¡°Lime¡± <input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">

    The best part of my visit was definitely what happened on my birthday. The night before, I had gone to bed fairly early in anticipation of the celebration the next day. While it might sound like fun to have such a large party, as the over-lord of the region it was actually a fairly formal pain in the ass, more politics than fun. At midnight though I was woken up by someone coming into my room and turning the light seal onto a low setting.

    Doing that kind of thing to someone with ninja training, well, it was lucky that I recognized my visitor as Sachiko.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Sachiko, what are you doing? What time is it?¡±

    ¡°It''s midnight, master. Happy birthday. As for what I''m doing, well, do you remember when you said that we wouldn¡¯t do certain trainings together until you were old enough? I''m here as part of that agreement, Daichi-sama.¡±

    It took a moment for that to sink in. On the one hand, was I ecstatic? Hell yes. We''d been cuddling and fooling about a bit for a while now, and it had taken a fairly prodigious level of willpower to resist going further.

    On the other hand, I always hated getting woken up, even if the person doing so was a beauty dressed in a small, cute, pink sleeping-robe and looking for fun.

    ¡°And so you thought it was worth waking me up for your desires, Sachiko?¡± I asked with a relatively neutral tone. She immediately bowed her head, and I could sense a pang of guilt and self-loathing coming from her.

    ¡°I''m sorry master. Please forgive your foolish retainer.¡± I snorted at this. She did have a bit of a self-confidence issue, at least as far as our relationship went. Despite living in the Elemental Nations for over a decade, I hadn¡¯t fully lost that modern, Earthlike view of romance and sex. But even the relatively advanced Uzushiogakure wasn¡¯t committed to the principle of equality the same way the West was. Especially not between people of different ranks.

    ¡°I didn''t say I was upset, Sachiko. A combination of elated and a bit annoyed at most. So look up.¡± When she did, showing her hope and excitement, I continued. ¡°Now, if I remember, you said you¡¯d done some advanced studying, hm?¡± I mused rhetorically. She swallowed.

    Sachiko had adopted the viewpoint that the relationship between us would be partially training both of us, but most of all me; she wanted me to gain skill, find out what I wanted, what I was looking for in a partner and such for my future wife and harem. I think she did it for a few reasons. Partially, because she really did want what was best for me, and that justification helped overcome her (in her mind) ¡°unworthiness.¡± Plus, if I really were as inexperienced as I would have been without reincarnation, it would have been legitimately helpful. Part of her viewpoint as well though was to protect herself, to set her expectations and understanding of the situation so that if I did tire of her, or move onto a partner of greater status, that she wouldn¡¯t be as hurt as if she had as fully dedicated herself to me as a romantic partner.

    And part of it was that she could tell I found it amusing when she talked about our relationship that way. I¡¯d pretty quickly realized her own hang-ups due to the status difference, rationalized that, and then moved on. I was immortal, after all, and living in the moment, taking enjoyment from what I could, changing what I found distasteful, and accepting what I couldn¡¯t change were all necessary to live a long, happy immortality without going mad.

    ¡°Yes, Daichi-sama.¡±

    I winced a bit. ¡°I really wish you wouldn¡¯t call me that at moments like this, Sachiko,¡± I replied.

    She looked up into my eyes. ¡°I know. But I refuse to call you without the respect you deserve, Daichi-sama,¡± she said quietly but firmly.

    I sighed. ¡°I could order you to call me Daichi, you know.¡±

    Her lips quirked. ¡°But would it then have any meaning?¡±

    We¡¯d had the argument a dozen times if we¡¯d had it once. It was pretty infuriating. But given the circumstances now¡­

    ¡°You know Sachiko, if you have a particular preference, you know I¡¯m happy to accommodate you,¡± I said sultrily, teasing her.

    She blushed a bit, far more of a reaction than I could typically get from her, and bashfully swept at the floor with her foot. ¡°I hadn¡¯t really thought about it, but maybe next time, if it pleases you, Daichi-sama?¡± she said softly, demurely, as if she were a total innocent.

    She wasn¡¯t. I¡¯d seen the books she liked, and they were enough to make me, a twenty-first century male, blush. I suspected she had a long-term plan how to if not corrupt (for Sachiko would never do such a thing to her precious master), at the least finagle me into being willing to try out some of the more extreme scenes, their pages dog-eared and binding cracked from how long she had dwelled on them.

    ¡°So what were you planning for tonight then?¡± I asked curiously.

    She smiled and stepped forwards. ¡°First, I thought I¡¯d show you your present,¡± she said. She let her robe fall from her shoulders, gathering along the floor. A ribbon wrapped around her, covering what a bikini might, tied in an artful bow at her pelvis.

    I made a point of looking her over. ¡°You''re very beautiful, Sachiko.¡± And she was. Medium sized but firm breasts, toned muscles, excellent bone structure. She showed all the selective breeding that went into a ninja retainer.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said blushing a bit. ¡°And now it¡¯s time to unwrap your present.¡±

    I first let my hands wander, tracing a few light scars from training and missions but avoiding the most erogenous zones, instead brushing her stomach, flanks, legs, and neck in between heated kisses. Finally, I let my hands wander to the dangling ends of the ribbon and was rewarded by a quick intake of breath.

    Suffice to say, I very much enjoyed what came after I unwrapped my present.

    It was strange to lose my virginity a second time. I definitely performed better than the first time, and I had much better expectations as to how much fun it would be. Sachiko blew those expectations out of the water. I don¡¯t know what other training manuals she read, or what exactly she did to practice, but the results were amazing. Nor, really, did I want to know; knowing how a magician performs a trick takes the magic out of it.

    I made sure to memorize the night using my visual and physical sensation memorization reinforcement, and decided I needed a seal to be able to transfer memories. It would be pretty damned kinky for Sachiko to go through the events, then see it from my point of view. Moreover, I was certain she¡¯d enjoy being able to appreciate the result of her efforts.

    ========================================

    Afterward, Sachiko and I lay, legs and hands entwined.

    ¡°That was amazing, Sachiko. Thanks for waking me up.¡±

    I agree. I understand your species'' obsession with this ''sex'' now.

    ¡­

    Let me tell you; there is no faster way to come down from the high of sex than to realize the millennium-old youkai-lord, the Kyubi, was watching.

 Chapter 35: Explanations

    Chapter 35: Explanations

    Actually, if I remembered the seal settings correctly, the Kyubi had a direct access to the physical sensations too!

    I blanched and tensed at his growling voice, deep in some way beyond sound or feel; this tenseness prompted Sachiko to look at me.

    ¡°What is it, Daichi-sama?¡± I swallowed. This wasn''t exactly how I''d intended to introduce myself to my tenant.

    ¡°I''m not the only one that woke up for this. It seems we managed to wake my guest too.¡±

    And if it weren''t for something so enjoyable, you''d regret having done so, human.

    Well, I thought, that¡¯s one way to soothe the savage beast.

    ¡°I''m glad you''re not upset,¡± I said aloud. ¡°Give me a second, there''s a seal to allow you to speak beyond your current, um, domicile.¡± I activated the seal so that Sachiko might hear him. ¡°I''m not sure what to call you; I know you are called the Kyubi, but I''m sure that the Sage of Six Paths named you. Is it perhaps Kurama-sama? And if not, may I know it?¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure how I knew it, but I could tell that the fox recoiled when I said Kurama.

    ¡°How did you know that?¡±

    I glanced at Sachiko, then decided they might as well both know. ¡°Alright. Sachiko, I think you''ve suspected something about me, that I''m a little better than a human should be. Kurama-sama, you have read-only access to those memories not related to sealing, which are protected by the Third Grandmaster''s Protection, so you''d likely be able to find this in time. In short, while I''m human, I''m not really mortal anymore.¡±

    Well, to be more accurate, he had access to the memories stored in my body¡¯s brain and/or spiritual chakra field.  Just, many of those memories referenced the fact that I had reincarnated, or had alien viewpoints because of the reincarnation.  Not quite the same, but still enough for him to work it out.

    ¡°I knew it, Daichi-sama,¡± Sachiko stated while drawing me a little closer to her.

    ¡°You don''t seem to have any particular divinity beyond the strongest ninja though. I''d be able to tell.¡± Even Kurama was distracted enough by my claim that he didn''t seem to be reacting to his situation.

    I shook my head. ¡°I doubt you¡¯d be able to tell.  I didn''t become immortal to Ascend or become a Bodhisattva. In my original life, I was dying. But I loved life too much, wanted to continue to experience it too much, and so I meditated and fasted and as I came to Death. The pull of Below. The lure of Above. The potential of Ascension and Divinity. The call to become part of the One. And the crushing presence of the Void. I passed through them all, and rejected them all. I achieved what I wanted. Immortality as a human, through reincarnation rather than life unending.¡±

    Was I worried that they would talk?  Not really.  Sachiko was scarily devoted; had I declared myself a god, she would have immediately declared herself my first priestess.  As for Kurama, he generally disdained humanity, and could only communicate with my approval.

    ¡°Is that how you''re so strong, master?¡± Sachiko asked.

    I laughed. ¡°No. This is only my second life, actually. I''m in my mid forties, if you count my previous life, and my old world didn''t have chakra. I''ll admit, I made chakra-powered versions of some things, but the technologies are totally different.¡±

    ¡°Like here, before the fall...¡± mused Kurama. I nodded and made a note to myself; I¡¯d have to ask more about that later. ¡°This doesn''t explain how you knew my name.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, that.¡± I activated the highest level of the privacy seals over my room as I decided I may as well go with total disclosure. ¡°See, there was a manga, and then an animated version of the future of this world, called Naruto. It was about a boy, born to Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, living in Konohagakure. After the death of his mother, the previous Jinchuriki of the Kyubi, due to the attack of a man with the Mangekyo Sharingan, you, Kurama-sama, were enslaved again and set against Konohagakure. The Hokage, Minato, used a sacrificial summoning jutsu that called up Shinigami-sama to consume your yin-half and lock your yang-half into Naruto.¡± I could feel Kurama recoil at this.

    ¡°What! That fucking Uchiha! That damn cockroach is still alive?¡± he roared. Sachiko and I winced.

    ¡°Kurama-sama, please, that was very loud. But yes, Madara is still alive. He''s being manipulated by a being called Black Zetsu, a remnant of Kaguya, as part of some plot to capture all the Biju and allow her resurrection. At least, that was the case in the Manga; I have no idea how much it overlaps reality. I''ve been changing things too ¨C Uzushio still stands. In fact, we''re stronger than ever, having conquered Water-country. Before, we would have been destroyed.¡±

    Sachiko gasped.  ¡°The Battle of East Kaizoku Sea.¡±

    I nodded grimly.  ¡°Exactly. I think they had help from Konohagakure''s Danzo and his Root to get past some of our seals, but yes. But, Kurama-sama, I should mention. We''ve given you a seal that prevents the Sharingan from being effective on you, and another seal that makes it impossible to seal you with something on the level of the seal that Mito used. As you have noticed, we have attempted to make your stay with me as comfortable as possible. The Uzumaki Sealers did not agree with Mito''s actions; there was a reason she was effectively exiled by being married to the Senju. At the time we lacked the power to fight against Konoha and your continued imprisonment was a political necessity, for which I apologize. When I am near death I have been instructed to release you, if that meets with your approval.¡± I could sense shock from the fox, changing into a puzzled optimism and contentment.

    ¡°Very well. It might be an amusing way to while away a few decades. But see that you release me, human!¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Of course. Sachiko, you''ve been quiet. Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course, master. I am honored that you trust me with this, and allowed me to become your retainer. Now I know how you just performed so well. It''s really unfair you kept me from that due to ''age'', master,¡± she said while snuggling closer.

    I grinned and laughed softly. I should have known. ¡°Alright, it''s late and I have a party tomorrow. Goodnight, Sachiko-chan, Kurama-sama.¡±

    ¡°I will watch some of these memories, I think, and contemplating.¡±

    I nodded.  ¡°Of course, Kurama-sama, and if it pleases you, you may call me Daichi.¡± I was perhaps a bit obsequious, but the entity was at least nearly godlike in power (I could barely channel enough chakra to account for what he passively emitted on a daily basis), and he was centuries my senior.  A bit of politeness never hurt.  ¡°I''ll be deactivating the communication seal. I wouldn''t want to freak anyone out.¡± I said as I did so.

    Very well. I will tell you when I am ready to grace you with my words again, human.

    ¡°Goodnight, master.¡±

    ========================================

    Waking up the next morning was pretty great. Suffice to say, Sachiko had decided that the previous night was not my only birthday present.

    When I asked her why, Sachiko grinned. ¡°I want to please you, master.¡± I just laughed and shook my head before pulling her into the shower where we fooled around for a bit before dressing formally for the day''s celebrations.

    My birthday was fairly tedious. Lots of meeting people, receiving gifts, a long banquet with endless toasts. I was glad when it was over and we could finally retire to my bedroom for a repeat of the previous night¡¯s activities.

    The rest of the visit was fairly busy. I visited the seal-sword factory, and helped improve output. We opened up Hawk Haven Academy, and made attendance strongly encouraged (basically obligatory) for everyone aged four to fourteen. There were yearly tests; if you could pass the one for the year above, you didn''t have to attend that class for that year. This option was mostly taken advantage of by some of the ninja and samurai families.

    For everyone else, the goal was to have citizens with basic combat skills, unlocked chakra and an understanding of how to improve it, and basic math, language, and technical skills as well as an understanding of the law. Basic sealing was taught, and those with more potential could get further tutoring from Kaa-san. There were other, optional classes that happened, some only irregularly, ranging in everything from carpentry to offensive water jutsu.

    Other than establishing the lower level Academy, we established specialist training departments for the Militia (part-timers), Guards (regulars), Specialists (ninja, sealers and samurai), Officers, and Sailors. The goal was to have the entire next generation go through the militia course, which could funnel those with a particular inclination into the Guards or even Specialist units. I could afford to have them all well-equipped.

    The initial training for the Militia focused mostly on basic personal combat skills, as well as providing logistical support to the Guards, territorial-defense, and guerrilla operations on their home turf. That set them up to at least be a threat an nuisance to any proper invader.  Meanwhile, they could out-match lesser raiders or pirates, and support the better quality regular forces if called upon to do so.

    The Guards were taught how to skirmish, and combat doctrine focused a fair bit on how to work with recently distributed DEWS guns and Cyclone Seals. They also learned how to assault a position, and some shipboard combat. Many got specialist Marine training, as they would see service on the ships. Others, especially those with too much seasickness to be effective on ships, received police and public relations training.

    Specialists were taught how to work together, as well as how to support the guardsmen.  Those deemed sufficiently loyal were trained to pilot Pelicans or other such devices. Some were also trained in more advanced espionage, counter-espionage, military police work, how to train locals into a guerrilla force, and psyops.

    Officers, obviously, received leadership and small to medium sized unit tactics training, and were typically taken from the upper ranks of the specialists. They also received training on how to operate by living off the land without unduly stressing the local population, and trained a lot on proper logistics.

    The sailing courses taught everything from the basics to advanced navigation, though the upper level courses only happened when there were enough candidates. It also cross-trained some specialists and guards who were focusing on naval combat or amphibious operations.

    It wasn''t quite up the quality of Uzushiogakure, partially due to the difference in quality of the people going in, but the goal was to make our home a strong-point, not the strongest-point. At the specialist level, I actually had a fairly competent group. We''d attracted the cream of the crop by handing out seal-blades to all the chakra-active fighters that swore loyalty, and seal-armor to those that were worth it. A lot of opportunistic second sons from Samurai families and entire groups of unemployed ninja had come over to Water-Country for the war, and Tou-san and my forces had recruited heavily. We were also on the leading edge when it came to adopting and adapting to new combat doctrines, largely because I was re-inventing these doctrines from half-remembered military documentaries and books on various wars.

    Other than the military program, there was also an advanced civilian academics program. This offered training in things like the sciences, mathematics, ship-building, technical skills, management, history, accounting and law. Some of the courses were obligatory for aspiring managers within my trading company or certain government offices that I oversaw as the governor.

    Honestly, only the fact that I was an original investor in the Uzushiogakure Air Mail Service, the profits of our merchant fleet, and the seal-sword factory allowed us to take so much of the population out of the workforce, and put them into education or militia training.  As people went through the training an ever smaller portion of the workforce would be training rather than producing, and hopefully the returning workers would be more efficient and effective.  When the education costs went down, I planned on making micro-loans available to further increase local industry (and my tax-base); similar programs had proven effective in India and other industrializing regions back on Earth, so I figured they were worth a shot.

    The militia training course for those that hadn''t gone through the academy was a full year, with a six month ¡°unit training period¡± afterward for all new formations. The formations, based on geography, were obviously all new since they hadn''t been formed yet. For those who had gone through the Academy, training was six months, and they were on a higher unit training tempo for three months following that. Since a lot of these programs were officially opening with my visit, having only been under preparation or training up cadre before-hand, it was a big shift with over a thousand men and women starting militia training.

    There was some muttering, but the tax benefits and increased earning potential of certain achievements (being chakra-active top among them), free lunch-time meal for students, and pay while serving as militia seemed to do the trick of keeping the population content. Some of the nobles and landowners seemed a bit wary, but between Tou-san and I we managed to convince them to our side. I had never been particularly standard, but had always been highly effective, so I got the benefit of the doubt as long as things went well.

    Kurama seemed quite interested by everything, but was much quieter than he was portrayed in Canon.  I could tell that he was watching through my eyes quite often, though he still spent most of his time rifling through my accessible memories, but he rarely spoke to me. Maybe he was still tired, maybe he was just unsure of me yet, maybe he was cautious of the fact that in some ways I was more lofty an existence than he.  Or maybe it was less annoying to be bound to a competent, mature, adult (ish) immortal rather than a simple, loud, daft, lowly human. I know if I were bound to Naruto I''d have gone fucking insane.

    Eventually though the whirlwind of activity wound down, and it was time to return to Konohagakure.

    The Jonin test waited.

 Chapter 36: The Jonin Exam

    Chapter 36: The Jonin Exam

    On our way back to Konoha, we finished our plan for the Jonin Exam. The test itself was given only semi-infrequently, and when it was, it tended to be a big deal. The gap between chunin and jonin was pretty huge, and gave enough prestige, position, and financial gains that the competition was fierce. With the recent draw-down of the war in Water Country there was a return of numerous now-experienced veterans.  As a result hundreds of chunin were competing for testing slots, and hundreds more genin were participating as it was now much harder to receive field promotions.

    The jonin test that year, like most years, consisted of three main sections. The first was individual exams. Part of this was testing knowledge in required subjects such as Konoha''s laws and operating regulations. Part was getting a record of acknowledged skills, especially in the basics of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. And part of the individual exams were optional tests in less common subjects; these tests covered everything from interrogation techniques to swordplay. These optional tests were frequently used to obtain special jonin (also known as tokubetsu jonin or tokujo) status.

    The second section consisted of war-games. We expected to be pitted against other jonin and chunin teams in everything from escape and evasion to hostage retrieval to full on simulated combat. In some parts of the exam we may be alone, others as a team, and sometimes as a small part of a larger military unit. For larger war-games, actual serving jonin often took higher positions in the command hierarchy to see how they performed and test out experimental strategies. This was by far the most dangerous section of the exams; it was widely known that the acceptable temporary casualty ratio was somewhere in the vicinity of five to ten percent of the examinees. Even with care being taken, everyone going into it knew there would be deaths and crippling injuries.

    The last section of the exam was interviews and a final promotion board. The point of these was to go over the service record, get answers for any inconsistencies, and hand down a final recommendation to the Hokage. Examinees could expect either their original jonin sensei (in our case Jiraiya) or their primary commanding officer to be one of the members of the board.

    The board could recommend staying as a chunin, in which they would typically say what the chunin should work on. It could recommend promotion to tokujo, and list specific qualifications, as well as what to do to be further promoted. It could, finally, recommend promotion to full jonin, as well as possible departments or mission profiles to be assigned to.

    Tokujo were sort of like warrant officers in a modern Earth military. They were typically either subject matter experts and administrators who weren¡¯t in the combat command track, or individuals who were nearly but not quite up to serving as a jonin.  Most combat track individuals ended up being promoted to tokujo instead of full jonin due to some combination of a weakness in their combat style, lack of sufficiently well-rounded experience, lack of previous command opportunities, political issues, perceptions of unreliability due to youth, etc.  Only about one quarter of jonin were directly promoted from chunin.

    I was hoping to be among their number, but I could see it going either way between full jonin or just tokujo.  On the one hand, I did have my command over my squad.  We performed well on missions, and were individually powerful; I was easily strong enough personally.  On the other hand, we hadn¡¯t been part of the war; this meant that while we had a lot of peacekeeping type missions (a plus), we lacked the battlefield experience that some other competitors had (a significant minus). I was relatively young too.

    To confuse things further, I was still at least theoretically part of a nation foreign to Konoha, and held high rank there.  That said, due to the alliance and my consulship I was politically important, and had a lot of sway.  Things were pretty close without the international political angle; had I been I part of a small but important Konoha clan it could have gone either way.  Ultimately, whether I was appointed or not would be a political move.

    The Hokage could have had the board approve me, and agreed with their recommendation.  That would have shown a desire on Konoha¡¯s part to have a close working relationship with Uzushiogakure.  He could have had them disapprove me, and yet promoted me anyways.  That would have show a dedication on his part to our alliance, and how much he valued it, while putting me on notice that I was enjoying a relatively decent time as a ninja only under his forbearance.  Those two were, in my mind, the likeliest scenarios.

    Less likely, he could have had the board approve me but disapproved my promotion.  That would have demonstrated significant ire on his part, and make my position very shaky in Konoha; everyone would know he disapproved, since ninja gossiped like fishmongers. It also would have likely negatively affected relations between our two governments.  Or, he could have had the board disapprove me and agreed with their recommendation.  Still a bit of frosting between relations, a bit of putting me on notice, but less so than countermanding the board to not promote me would have been.

    The biggest problem though with the jonin exams was that it gave away many of one¡¯s best tricks. While I was specialized as a strategic-class destructive combatant, that was one of the very worst specializations to be known for; it attracted assassins like flies to rotting meat. I wanted to emphasize my combat capabilities, but come off as a generally well-rounded but elite prospect. Part of that was that I didn''t want my team to be assigned to heavy-combat operations; I much preferred the semi-independent troubleshooter jobs we generally took.

    The first decision we made was which individual tests we would take, and what capabilities we''d reveal. I wasn''t capable of sitting the specialist exams for genjutsu or taijutsu. Both focused on not just personal achievement, but in furthering the theory and discovering new and better techniques to teach basic and intermediate practitioners. My personal taijutsu, though exceedingly deadly, relied on use of chakra-chains and chakra-scribing seals on contact. My genjutsu, though actually deadly, was totally incapable of the subtle uses that needed to be demonstrated.  The true value of a genjutsu master was not on the battlefield, but in the parlors and dining halls, subtly manipulating opinion and emotion to gather secrets and obtain preferential deals. Both would stand me in good stead as part of my general combat skills tests, but neither were applicable to any potential tokujo status.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    While I might have been able to take the ninjutsu exam, and my personal chakra expansion techniques would likely have gotten me a promotion on their own, I had no desire to share those with anyone outside of possibly my family. Displaying my wide-scale ninjutsu was also off the table; it would have gotten around. Similarly, I couldn''t take the sealer''s exam since any sealing work I did had to happen under the aegis of my Uzushiogakure identity.

    There were two combat-oriented specialist exams I could take: Swordsmanship and Battlefield Presence. I was a capable swordsman, and was finally large enough and strong enough to actually match and defeat other swordsmen worth that title. While I was expected to eventually take students or apprentices, that wasn''t actually required; unlike the basics of ninjutsu, taijutsu, basic ninja tools and genjutsu, swordsmanship was its own, specialist skill that was based more on battlefield usage than on theory and furthering the art.

    As for Battlefield Presence, well, I was capable of shutting down everyone within range after only a few months practice; I''d since spent six years refining my technique until I could do everything from making myself project a weak SEP (Someone Else''s Problem) field, whip a crowd into a frenzy or pacify them in a moment, or make myself so dreadful that my enemies just shut down. My projection of the Death Experience was strong enough that it could kill those with weaker chakra systems because the sympathetic resonance convinced them that they were, in fact, dead.

    Apart from those, I was also taking the ¡°Diplomatic (focus: Noble)¡± test. I was fairly sure I''d make a good showing, and there was always a need for noble-ranked individuals capable of diplomatic missions since ninja tended to lack social status compared to the samurai caste.

    Sachiko had signed up for the Genjutsu, Poison and Court Intrigue specialist exams. While her genjutsu and poison might not be quite up to the level of, say, an Uchiha or Orochimaru respectively, her skills were more than strong enough to support her focus in Court Intrigue. Since she and Yasu were permanently part of my team due to laws concerning retainers, foreign dignitaries and Konohagakure generally not wanting to piss me off, this would help keep us positioned to take non-combat or low-combat operations in nice places rather than lengthy patrols or search and destroy missions against enemy ninja.

    Yasu finished us off with taking the Stealth, Trapping, and Tracking exams. His stealth was truly impressive, and he was capable of the urban aggressive investigation modules. He was skilled enough with his traps to keep them well positioned and hid, and his capabilities were significantly enhanced by using advanced Uzushiogakure seals. As a tracker, he was middling-skilled. His chakra sensing was strong, and he had a type of limited psychometric technique that allowed him to trace chakra trails in the right circumstances. That said, he lacked the wide-range scent and physical evidence scanning capability of the Aburame''s insects or the Inuzuka''s nose.

    After I got a look at the competition, I anticipated that I would make jonin, and that Sachiko and Yasu had fair chances. We were all sufficiently skilled in taijutsu to at least keep up in combat, though we tended to focus a bit more on using weapons and combat multipliers like chakra-flow, poisons and seals. I''d made sure that we were all at least above average for jutsu, and everyone knew at least a few utility, defense and offense techniques using Water and Wind techniques. We could all do at least some genjutsu. As a trump card, we had my seal-armor, and Sachiko and Yasu''s full Body-Seals, including the Cyclone-seals. That said, we wouldn''t be demonstrating any of those beyond the lowest level of the armor or body-seal systems.

    If anything, I might have actually harmed Sachiko and Yasu¡¯s chances. They couldn''t be deployed without me, so there was less incentive to promote them. As a group, we weren''t experienced enough or trustworthy enough to be a full unit of jonin taking absolutely top-tier independent missions, and I wasn''t experienced enough to command such a group. Nor had we gone through the military track that might see us getting assigned as the Auxiliary Ninja Command Group for one of the Fire Daimyo''s Legions.

    A high-level group of a jonin and two tokujo, on the other hand, was a bit more believable as a final squad makeup. And then in a few years, as we continued maturing and growing, we might become one of those extremely rare elite jonin squads.

    ========================================

    The compulsory section of the individual exams went about as I expected. I limited my jutsu demonstrations to A-rank, but showed off my full mastery of wind and water jutsu by using minimal chakra and exquisite control. It was a careful balance. I wanted to be strong enough to be fearsome, but not so strong that I was a priority target. A few years more, and I knew I''d be a monster so powerful that people would be afraid of targeting me, strong enough that none but the greatest might hope to challenge me; I wanted to avoid the stage where skilled but not legendary assassins were dispatched against me and that was actually a threat.

    My Presence exam was pretty amusing. I showed off the breadth and depth of the effects that I could create; most others with that kind of interest in emotional manipulation skills were capable of genjutsu that I simply wasn''t. Instead, I used my Presence for all of those applications. While I was ¡°merely¡± the equal of the top contemporary generals and leaders when it came to wide-scale morale-boosting and speech-emphasizing, I was among the most advanced ever for subtle use of Presence.

    I was truly unmatched when it came to aggressive Killing Intent; even at a fraction of its full strength, my Death Experience knocked the most susceptible of my examiners into a day-long coma. This was partially due to the short distance and partially due to not being in a fight-to-the-death situation which tended to raise Will-to-Live. The chief examiner for that section told me that I would certainly be receiving at least tokujo for that alone.

    My Court Diplomacy test similarly went well. It was very unusual for a Konohagakure ninja to be a noble or even a samurai; my status meant that I was fairly uniquely suited to dealing with certain traditionalist lords as well as ceremonially important roles in negotiations that required a representative of a certain minimum status. I knew the typical behavioral patterns and customs, and while I was a lord of Whirlpool, I was still clearly a lord. Being a bit more of a traditionalist himself, the examiner didn''t actually say straight out what his recommendation would be, but still conveyed in the double-speak of courtly phrases that I had done well.

    But by far and away my most interesting exam was in swordsmanship.

 Chapter 37: Facing the Fang

    Chapter 37: Facing the Fang

    The swordsmanship exam had three sections to it. First, a demonstration match using bokken (wooden swords of similar weight and size to the real ones) or dulled blades. In our case, I gave my examiner a seal which would lock the location of the sword when the blade was about to cut flesh or bone. That way we could go all out without worrying about death, and use our usual swords to do so.

    The second part was a controlled, chakra-free duel to score light wounds. Internal strengthening and speed-enhancing techniques were allowed, but nothing else. The threat of death was part of this test, so safety seals weren''t allowed in this section.

    The last part was a full on, (certain) chakra techniques included, kenjutsu match. We were meant to avoid death or maiming, but this exam was one of the most dangerous. There were two full jonin-level medic-nin on standby, and each had a chunin medic assistant. Even then, this exam was known to have a relatively high injury and death rate.

    The thing that made my swordsmanship exam so interesting was my opponent. I was up against the White Fang, Hatake Sakumo himself. He was Konoha''s greatest practitioner of kenjutsu techniques, partially due to his family''s unique White Chakra Blade style. Unlike most kenjutsu styles which focused on enhancing a blade, the White Chakra Blade extended a ¡°perfect blade¡± formed from chakra given some base blade. Senju Tobirama''s Sword of the Thunder God was actually inspired by the Hatake Kenjutsu. While the White Chakra Blade allowed conventional kenjutsu techniques, just using the super low-weight and sharp White Chakra Sabre, it excelled most as a nin-kenjutsu style, combining no-tell, high speed ranged attacks with sword-combat. Funnily enough, my own chakra-based wind-variant of the Whirling Sword style was somewhat similar.

    I decided that I didn''t want to risk my heirloom blades, and so I was using my secondary swords for the fight. They were practically identical to my actual swords, with the same weight and shape, but were seal-swords rather than seal-enhanced chakra-conductive metal. Sakumo, likely due to the chakra free sections of the test, was also using a full katana rather than his typical white tanto that had led to his moniker of ¡°Konoha''s White Fang¡±. We bowed to our examiners and each other, and began the demonstration match.

    There were a few different ways a sword fight tended to go. The first, and most brutal, was the type of fight you saw on the battlefield. Two swordsmen met, and they tried to cut through each other as quickly as possible. The faster, stronger, more skilled and luckiest survived; the other died. These fights were quick and decisive, but carried a much higher risk when facing enemies that were of similar skill levels. Such combat was most frequent when killing as many people as possible in as short a time as possible was the focus on both sides, and endurance was a factor. Advancing troops drove combatants together, and forced victory or being trampled or surrounded and cut down. This was the kind of fight practiced by heroes and soldiers on the battlefield.

    The second type of fight was the kind you tended to see in a duel between similarly skilled opponents. They started further away, and tried to lure their opponent into making a mistake large enough to allow a decisive blow to be struck without taking one in return. Most of the fight occurred at longer ranges, and the fighters often withdrew several times as the clashes were inconclusive. Sometimes, they would ramp up the fight slowly, varying tempo and force to get a better read on their opponent without giving away their own secrets, tricking the enemy into a set expectation and then pulling out a sudden acceleration or zero-range technique at the critical moment to achieve victory. Musashi Miyamoto''s Sparking Stone, one of the few techniques actually described in his Book of the Five Rings, was one such technique; it called for a sudden reinforcement of the blow at the moment of impact, without any tells, to break the guard and wound the enemy. This was the kind of fight that inspires story and song.

    The third type of fight was almost totally foreign to Konohagakure and the Elemental Nations as a whole. This was the sport-spar. Think of it like Western Olympic Fencing. The objective was not to kill or incapacitate your opponent without receiving a blow of your own, but rather to do so first. It was practically suicidal to practice that way as an actual combatant, since far too often both sides would end up striking a killing blow at nearly the same time.

    My first match against Sakumo, the demonstration match, was closest to the second type of fight. We weren''t trying to crush the other as quickly as possible, but to pull out all of our opponent''s skill and demonstrate our own to the examiners ¨C after all, Sakumo may not have been up for promotion, but he was still being seen fighting by his peers. Our purpose was to have a beautiful fight, rather than just to win it.

    I could tell within moments that he was a better swordsman. My own style relied on using things like super-dense wind-flow, setting up openings to launch my chains, and distracting the enemy at crucial moments by flaring my Presence. Sakumo surely used those techniques too. But where my footing was almost perfect, his was perfect. Where my reflexes were trained within moment, his were a fraction of a moment. He was stronger, a bit faster, and just more experienced. Not for nothing was he the greatest Kenjutsu master in a village with thousands of superhuman killers.

    To put things in perspective, I might have ranked in the top one percent with the sword, even better with chakra; he was in the top five Konoha-affiliated swordsmen without chakra, period. With chakra, he was the best. If I could have faced him all out, and surprised him by tanking a hit to my armor while launching a full out strike using elemental manipulation, chakra chains, and a territory-control seal array, I might have been able to take him.

    As it was, well¡­ I put up a fight, and learned more in that match than I had over months of practicing.

    We opened up with the basics, at a relatively slow speed. My overhead slash was diverted with the minimum of effort, and I slid next to his retaliatory thrust, guiding his sword away from my torso with the body of my sword, then giving it a slight push and trying a to catch him in a horizontal sweeping slash.

    As he stepped back, my sword just brushing his clothing. I extended in a lunge, trying to catch up to his retreating body. He dropped into a middle guard, caught my sword in a blade-lock, and began to go for a disarm. I twisted and disengaged, grinning as we each stepped back and prepared for another clash. The whole exchange had lasted less than two seconds.

    We met again and again, ramping up our speed and power and pulling out flashier techniques and combinations. Fifteen minutes in, I was covered in sweat and breathing heavily, and was inordinately pleased that I had managed to get Sakumo sweating at all. I had switched from the fairly standard techniques to the faster, if more energy intensive, movements and sweeping blocks of the Whirling Sword. I had definitely come out the worse for our exchanges, but I could sense that Sakumo was impressed. I had at least managed a few touches of my own, including a few with my hands that would have allowed me to plant a killing seal. The judge called out the stop, and we disengaged and bowed before deactivating the seals that kept our swords safe.

    There was a five minute break between the demonstration match and the live-steel duel. The next match was best two of three. The purpose was to make sure the examinee''s skills didn''t degrade when there was the actual threat of death. It also meant that I had five minutes to come up with some sort of strategy to score at least one point on Sakumo. But without chakra-techniques beyond internal reinforcement being allowed, I really didn''t have anything I could think of.

    With my time ticking down, I remembered something that was ¡°so crazy it might just work¡±. The suicidal technique of Shirou Emiya from Fate/Stay-Night.

    In actuality, his style was pretty shitty against any properly experienced fighter. The idea of leaving openings to force a certain battle-progression has always been a technique, and quite well known to most high level martial arts fighters. As such, there are a number of ways to defeat the technique. First, and most obvious, was to force the opponent to attack, and win in the counterstrike. This avoided the ability to be forced into a certain attack pattern. The second, also basic, was to attack however you please anyways. So what if there was a weakness you can take advantage of? If you were truly that much faster, stronger, more conventionally skilled, then just attack. Attack as you please, and break through his strength.  Or third, quite simply being better at that sort of martial mind game than the opponent was. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Unluckily for me, my opponent was quite capable of all three approaches.  So if I wanted to win, I had to not just appear weak, but actually become weak.

    Again, we faced each other, and saluted our judges and opponent. Sakumo kept position in guard, as did I while we maneuvered. I was pretending to be more affected by the psychological pressure of facing a superior swordsman than I actually was. Eventually, as my feet slid into position, I flared my reinforcement and attacked.

    I was fast, furious, powerful. Our blades met once, as he deflected my slash with a parry. A second time, as I knocked his counter-thrust off line to the left of my body. A third time, as he tried to cut me with a horizontal slash; I blocked and used a diagonal footwork that resulted in our keeping contact and spinning in a circle as I tried to disengage. A last, fourth time as he began to withdraw, then instead doubled down with his strike, breaking through my guard and leaving a cut on my upper left arm. It wasn''t dangerous, but did weaken the arm significantly.

    We disengaged, and as my sleeve soaked in blood my arm healed.  That was perhaps the greatest advantage from Kurama¡¯s waking; he was able to do part of the work of filtering his chakra, and had improved how effectively I healed.  But I pretended that it was still wounded, still weak.

    I fixed up my uniform, making sure that it was just so, and made sure that neither my katana''s sheathe nor my wakizashi would impede my movement. Both were organized on my left hip for a right-hand draw; generally, the wakizashi was a backup for places where politeness required you to remove your main sword (such as at the dinner table) or used in tight spaces. While some dual-wielding techniques existed, they were more typical of a samurai than a ninja.

    Both ready, and with Sakumo seemingly content to wait on me, I prepared to attack again. I moved into range, and attacked with a right-footed forward-stepping slash aimed at his shoulder on my right. It was a blow that used the right side more than the left, and kept him thinking my injury was still an issue. He blocked, shifting my sword further to the right.

    Just as predicted, I thought with a vicious grin.

    Rather than disengaging as he''d suspect, I extended my step into a lunge, bringing me in close. I let my sword go with my right hand, and began dropping my body to lessen the pressure on my sword enough that I could stay in contact using just my left handed hold. As I did this, I used an Iaijutsu technique with right hand on my wakizashi, a rapid-draw lateral slash aimed at his stomach.

    Sakumo''s eyes were full of his shock at the situation as he tried to dodge. Time seemed to crawl, a side effect of the mental-reinforcement technique I was running to improve my reaction speed. And I could tell that my wakizashi was going to just miss.

    Despite everything, Sakumo was just too good. So, as he was springing back and slightly to my left, I released the wakizashi, flinging it after him. It caught him as his feet were leaving the ground, and sliced through the muscle just below the ribs on his left flank.  It was only barely more than a scratch, but it counted. Ecstatic and smiling broadly, I recovered my footing from my attack as one of the stunned judges declared my point.

    The third and final point, Sakumo decided to be on the attack. He attacked mercilessly, ruining my guard with a flurry of powerful blows.  Soon he knocked my sword into a totally useless position and leveled his blade across the side of my throat with a faint grin before I could recover. His message was pretty clear; I wouldn''t be getting an inflated head. Despite my defeat, Sakumo was kind of like Hanzo the Salamander. I might not have beaten him, but even giving him a fight was enough to be seen as badass.

    Again, we had a five minute break before the third stage of the exam. This time, it was an all-out kenjutsu match. One round, one winner. Ninjutsu or genjutsu using hand-seals and sealing were forbidden, but attacks that used chakra through the sword and Battlefield Presence were allowed, as were certain classes of nin-kenjutsu, including techniques like Hayate''s Dance of the Crescent Moon from canon Naruto, or Hatake¡¯s own chakra-blade techniques.

    This meant that I actually had a chance. I was close enough to Sakumo in speed, and not so much weaker, that he wouldn''t be able to crush me in an instant. Which meant that I''d be able to deploy the full weight of my Death Experience as we closed.

    Sakumo was a true monster, veteran of over a hundred battlefields and thousands of life-or-death moments. Given time to acclimate, he was likely among the very few that might be able to stay combat effective at close range to my field, even when it was focused onto him. But the first time he felt it, at point blank range? That was a different matter entirely.  I hypothesized it would be able to cripple even the Hokage for a moment, enough to secure victory. Until I faced a similar enemy in a true life-or-death struggle, this was my best chance to test that theory.

    Unlike the previous rounds, I could now use my kenjutsu style in its full glory. While I was capable with a sword, it was largely a hobby that helped train speed and physical fitness in a way that was at least somewhat useful; in real combat my sword was something between a prop and a focus for the weight of my Presence and Elemental Channeling. My goal, when using the sword, was not to face an enemy as an opposing ninja, but to represent the full fury of a god. Most enemies would fall to chain and seal and jutsu; the remainder would be cut down as they cowered at my approach. It was a style designed both to be effective and to overawe.

    As I prepared to face Sakumo that last time, I started to flare my chakra. At first, the examiners and Sakumo noticed the weight of my chakra on their senses with a bit of surprise. But I just kept building, and building, and building until the air around me was starting to waver due to the metaphysical force of my being on reality. Soon the judges, jonin all, were visibly struggling to maintain chakra levels high enough not to be incapacitated.

    I grinned at Sakumo, and surrounded myself with a dense shell of wind, focusing it so heavily on my sword that it looked and felt to people''s senses like I was carrying a hurricane. But, for all the chakra I was outputting, more than Sakumo and the three judges could as a group, I had perfect control. There was no great wind, no leakage. And that, to those who really knew what mattered, was probably the most terrifying thing of all. In response Sakumo''s sword lit up like a brand with a bright, white chakra.

    Half a minute into my preparations, a squad of ANBU arrived then said something into their communicators before retreating to the edges of the training ground. Clearly my rampant chakra had worried Village Security. I would have laughed if it weren''t so inappropriate.

    Instead, I just continued in raising my chakra level, expanding my bubble of chakra around myself and making my wind denser and sharper. While expensive in terms of chakra, a bubble of your own chakra around you acted as a form of limited omniscience within that space. It was a high-level technique, and one that was popular among upper-level swordsmen. It was also a way to forcefully impose higher levels of Presence and limit the Presence to a certain space.

    ¡°Hatake-san, you should prepare yourself for my Presence. It is typically crippling on first exposure. I''ve been looking forward to being able to test it on you since I heard you were assigned as my evaluator.¡±

    He quirked an eyebrow at me. ¡°Normally you don''t warn your opponent about that kind of thing, Uzumaki-san,¡± he replied in a smooth baritone.

    ¡°I value the experience of how the technique fares against such a high-level opponent more than I would value beating you due to lack of preparation,¡± I answered.  While I was being truthful, I was also playing to the judges a bit; that foresight could help when the board review my application.

    He just nodded. Eventually, one of the judges came forward, sweating at the combined pressure caused by my massive chakra flare and Sakumo''s own more tightly focused aura that he was using to prevent my flare from affecting him.

    ¡°Begin!¡± called the judge from a safe distance.

    That instant, I slammed on the Death Experience, keeping the limit of my area of effect as tight to myself and Sakumo as possible. Sakumo, already in motion, froze for a full second, so stunned that his chakra control failed and his blade extinguished.

    In a battlefield, with the chaos and team-mates to cover for him, he might have survived such a failure. In a duel, at our range, and using our level of ranged chakra-flow techniques? A second was an eternity. I made it clear to the judges that I was taking my time as I positioned myself just to his side and struck.

    My wind-flow flew right past Sakumo, doing nothing but ruffling his clothes. The forest behind him was not so fortunate, with a forty yard long cone of trees of earth blasted apart, shredded in the storm of my elemental blade. I sheathed my katana and stepped back as a stunned judge called the match in my favor.

    Sakumo and I bowed to the judges and each other, then he approached me. Luckily he didn¡¯t seem upset at his loss.

    ¡°I would never have believed anyone, let alone someone of your age, could create such an overwhelming presence,¡± he praised. ¡°Your sword skills are impressive too; when you''re in the village, you should call on me to spar or practice.¡±

    That was a pretty big compliment from the White Fang. Being invited to spar like that meant that he recognized my abilities, not just as a promising student of the blade, but as an actual opponent. I bowed fairly deeply.

    ¡°That is a great honor, thank you,¡± I answered. He laughed outright and shook his head.

    ¡°You managed to beat me. I think we could both gain from the experience.¡±

    ¡°Very well, Hatake-san. I''ll look forward to it!¡± I replied with a grin.

    ========================================

    Later, I heard through the grapevine that this fight had netted me another sobriquet. Apparently one of the other top jonin had heard that Sakumo lost to a fourteen-year-old chunin in a full-on sword match and decided to tease him a bit.

    One of the judges was there too. ¡°Had you been there, you would have understood,¡± he said.  ¡°Sakumo-san didn''t face a simple ninja in that match.¡±

    ¡°If he didn''t face a ninja in that match, what did he face?¡± the shit-stirring Jonin then asked.

    At this, the judge and Sakumo were quiet for a moment before Sakumo gave an answer.

    ¡°I faced a Wicked Storm.¡±

 Chapter 38: The Tea Cup Conflict

    Chapter 38: The Tea Cup Conflict

    With the individual exams completed, we had a couple days off before the main event of the promotion exams: the war-games. For this year, we were recreating the Tea Cup Conflict, which had occurred a few decades before. Despite its name, the conflict was a real mess that culminated in a three way civil war.

    The first side in this war was the teenage heir to the Daimyo¡¯s seat for Tea Country. He had been usurped by his uncle following the previous Daimyo''s death, and was spirited away by a group of loyal ninja clan members who were his retainers and guards. With him were his two younger sisters and wife. His wife was a noblewoman from Fire Country, and a distant relative of Fire''s Daimyo (the one before the lord at the time of the exams). Between this, an old treaty''s semi-loose language and the usurper''s distaste for Fire Country, the Fire Daimyo decided to send a detachment of ninja to assist his ¡°Royal Cousins in their efforts to regain lawful control of the great nation of Tea.¡± The heir''s forces were concentrated in the North, especially in the semi-mountainous, mostly undeveloped forest region where Konoha''s guerrilla ninja slaughtered any of the usurper''s forces that trespassed.

    The second side was, obviously, the usurper (or new Daimyo, depending on your point of view). While a bit of a bastard, he was a competent military leader and diplomat. He leaned towards a greater reliance on longer distance trade via nations like Sea rather than being a client of Fire, and was in talks with Wind and River countries for support. While there were some rebels still hiding out with his nephew and a bit of grumbling, he did have control of the military forces and the lawful apparatus of government. His main problem was not, in fact, his nephew. Rather, he was dealing with a major rebellion in the South.

    This brings us to the third side. The Southern rebels. A fairly progressive bunch, their leadership and funding came from a wealthy coterie of merchants and landowners, with a few lesser nobles sprinkled in for good measure. They were trying to take advantage of the situation to secede from feudal control, bringing the most productive and profitable parts of the country with them. While this faction had a lot of money, and a fairly large population base, they were not as competent militarily. They relied on mercenaries and hired ninja, typically not from any great village but from the clans that had yet to join a village. They lacked the elites of the heir''s Konohagakure forces, or the leadership and professionalism of the usurper''s army and retainers. They did, however, have fairly large numbers of battle-hardened troops at the lower levels, even if their discipline and morals were often lacking.

    The part of the conflict that we were copying was the end of the war. Historically, the usurper had captured the heir''s sisters and wife, and had given him three days to surrender himself. An infiltration specialist from Konoha managed to kill the usurper with a teacup during a tea ceremony (hence the Teacup Conflict for a name). With the usurper''s death, the heir was able to re-take command of the legitimate forces much in the same way that Napoleon did after returning from exile, and then proceeded to reinforce them with his resistance fighters. The newly unified army, previously being pushed back, managed to make a major reversal. Simultaneous assassinations of Rebel political leaders by loyalists and a large offensive broke the mercenaries, and within weeks of the usurper''s assassination the war was basically over except for some mop-up.

    Historically, the civil war was interesting for a few reasons. Most applicable to Konoha though was a shift into allowing more women to fill combat ninja roles, even though it had been an infiltrator that accomplished the assassination. As a side note, a young (at the time) jonin called Hatake Sakumo was the second in command of the heir''s Konohagakure forces, and made his name in the conflict.

    For our exam the war-games were meant to represent these last days of the conflict. Jonin and chunin candidates were divided into the three teams, in roughly equivalent numbers to the historical situation. Commanders were allowed to assign a certain number of troops to special zones including the Usurper''s Command Post (where the hostages were held), the Rebel Command Post (where ¡°assassinations¡± would remove a percentage of the Rebel forces) or the Heir''s Camp. The rest were deployed in the ¡°general combat zone¡± to duke it out.

    The general objective was victory, but each team would be judged by the watching judges on how well they achieved their sub-objectives. Candidates could get points for everything from enemy kills, to changing sides to the winners after their side''s leader was ¡°killed¡±, to managing to avenge their leader.  Those rules more than anything drove home the fact that this was a ninja exam to me.

    The exam limit was five days. Unlike the chunin exam in Naruto (the show), this was meant to simulate warfare, not replace it. Blunted weapons were used, as were ¡°safe¡± poisons.  Highly damaging techniques were meant to be aimed just a little bit away from the ¡°enemy¡± when possible. General soldiers were simulated by examiners specializing in clone techniques. Judges were responsible for calling people out as ¡°dead¡±, as were individuals themselves. Cheating on that was considered to be lying to a superior officer, and could be grounds for some fairly nasty punishments.

    Our unit was assigned to the Red Team, the heir''s forces. The usurper''s team was represented by a blue sash, while the southern rebels had white sashes. We were interviewed during the down time between the individual exams and the war-games by the Red Commander, a jonin called Nara Shikata who was a former legion jonin. He was a good pick for something like this; he was used to working with conventional military forces, and focused on being a strategy, guerrilla and counterintelligence specialist rather than a heavy hitter himself. As a legion jonin though, he would have done little to command larger formations of ninja, and was restricted to mostly supporting conventional operations rather than managing special forces operations themselves. I suspected that this exam was partially to test his ability to command larger groups of ninja, especially in the kind of skirmishing warfare that ninja practiced rather than the more straightforward combat seen in the Daimyo''s army.

    We met our temporary commander in a tea shop on the edge of the Nara lands. We were shown in by one of his adjutants, and with a bit of a grin at the ¡°life of a ninja¡± moment, I noticed a screen of subtle guards, likely trying to avoid ninja from the other teams from spying on our preparations. He was sitting behind a table with tea and snacks. The adjutant bowed and left, leaving us in the room with Shikata and an examiner who was sitting off to the side. As the examiners were technically ¡°invisible¡± for the purposes of the exam, we weren''t meant to acknowledge them. Shikata seemed to be in his early thirties, and had the typical fit and lithe form shared by most ninja, as well as his fair share of wrinkles from the weather, and small scars on his hands from training with blades.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    At a guess, he had put in a full twenty years¡¯ service as a ninja assigned to the legions, and taken the opportunity to move over to Konoha''s village command structure with a half-pension. He looked professional enough; I could sense that he was reasonably powerful and had a good control of his chakra. A legion jonin was typically the top ninja out of an entire legion battle group, which would normally include a little over sixty genin, ten chunin and a tokujo or two. Under normal circumstances, they would work their way up the ranks. Considering casualties and transfers out, this meant that Shikata was likely in the top fraction of a percent of the ninja assigned to assist the Daimyo''s forces (though his clan connections would have helped him achieve promotions). Compared to someone like Sakumo though, he was a cat next to a tiger.

    Shikata already had our service records, which included our performance in the most recent exams. He motioned for us to take a seat. I sat across from him, with Sachiko and Yasu on my right and left. We exchanged greetings, and he served us some tea and placed the snacks, a set of rice cakes dusted in sugar, in front of us.

    ¡°You represent quite the problem for me, Uzumaki-san. Beyond the main objectives of keeping the heir ¡°alive¡± and winning this wargame, we have two main secondary objectives. Kill the usurper and rescue the hostages. Of course, our enemy knows this too. I have to balance the troops assigned to distracting the forces hunting for us, retrieving the hostages and killing the Usurper, and preparing to assist or destroy the Usurper''s forces in the field.¡± He paused for a sip of tea. ¡°Can you think of how you might be a problem for me?¡± I took a moment to think, then answered.

    ¡°It''s a combination of my power, my lack of proper battlefield experience, age, and my political visibility. I''m strong enough that if you don''t make the best use of me, it''ll hurt your judgment from the examiners, especially after I managed to take down the White Fang in my Kenjutsu exam. On the other hand, some of my strongest abilities are either too lethal, or, like my Death Experience, don''t discriminate between friendly versus enemy forces well enough. While I''ve extensive experience leading a chunin cell, I haven''t led larger units, and we tended to take ¡°elite police¡± type operations rather than military ones. Further, no matter how strong I am, there are genin in this that are older than I am, which hurts my ability to give commands. My status just means that people will be paying even more attention, and I could probably make trouble for you if I were upset.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. So, what might you do in my position?¡± Fucking Nara, and his Socratic method. Then again, it was pretty clever; if he could get me to come up with his solution, then everyone would be happy and I wouldn''t be able to bitch and moan afterward.

    I thought for a few moments, then decided to be a bit of a smart ass.  ¡°I''d likely ask the young potential jonin how he thinks he should be employed.¡±

    The Nara gave an amused grin at my cheek and motioned for me to elaborate.

    ¡°If he agreed with my plan,¡± I continued, ¡°then at the least I''d be insulated from blow-back. If he had a better idea than I originally had, I''d be able to use it. And, at the worst, I''d have a better understanding of his skills and how he thinks.¡±

    Still grinning, Shikata nodded. ¡°Good. So far, we agree then. So, how should I best use you?¡±

    ¡°You should assign us the strike against the Usurper''s Command Post.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Convince me why.¡±

    ¡°We''re the best unit for the job. You should know from our records that we''re a well rounded team with high combat potential. Since the defenders are allowed six hours of preparation, a normal group can''t just blitz the post. Knowing the results of the Tea Cup Conflict, the enemy may begin to move the Blue Leader (who was the stand in for the usurper) or the hostages from the Command Post as soon as the game begins, accepting the slight increase in communications time for messengers and using communications seals to compensate.

    ¡°I can shut all of that down. Sachiko will provide air support with a Custom quality Pelican, and take out any messenger birds too. I''m good enough with seals to shut down the enemy''s communications via seals in the opening moments as well.¡± At this, the jonin raised his hand to stop me.

    ¡°How good are you with seals? And what can you do for us with them? There''s a note in your service record that says you''re a full Uzumaki Expert, but no notes on any missions to do sealing work.¡±

    ¡°Technically, any sealing work I did would be as a member of Uzushiogakure, not Konohagakure. Konoha would have to pay a full Uzumaki Expert Sealer''s fee, which is fairly intense. I''m allowed to use whatever personal seals I want though.¡± He nodded.

    ¡°I understand. So, you''d first knock out communications, and prevent reinforcements or retreat via your Pelican. Then what?¡±

    ¡°That''s right. Then, Yasu and I would assault. Yasu would scout, and we''d avoid, disarm or destroy traps between us. When we approached the Blue fortified Command Post, I''d use my Death Experience Presence at maximum power to incapacitate the base. Then, while Yasu retrieved the hostages, I''d kill the Blue Leader and instruct the Blue Commander and guards to turn to our side or be wiped out. We would send you word, and move to the main battle region to support the newly joined Red and Blue forces.¡±

    ¡°How strong is your Death Experience technique?¡± he interrupted as I paused, finished with my explanation of what my unit would first accomplish

    ¡°Strong enough to let me beat Hatake Sakumo,¡± I answered with a smile. ¡°Would you like a demonstration?¡±

    ¡°I know this is going to be troublesome, but I probably should.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Brace yourself.¡± That said, I began to ramp up the power. Shikata was looking visibly uncomfortable. ¡°Right now, I''m not focusing the technique to any particular region, just letting it free.¡± I continued to increase the power by trickling more power to the Presence. Shikata was sweating and shaking a bit. ¡°And, I''ve just hit about one percent of my power. Should I stop?¡± Shikata gave a jerk of his head that I interpreted as a nod. I stopped the technique, and he slumped backwards.

    ¡°Gods above. No wonder Hatake called you the Wicked Storm. That was brutal. Alright, you''ve sold me on your plan. It''s good too, I''d originally planned on at least two jonin candidate cells and a half dozen chunin candidate cells for that operation, and would have launched it on the second or third day. A quick blitz, led by that technique, will result in far more turning to our side and a better victory. You''re capable of the more usual uses of Presence; are they of similar strength?¡±

    ¡°They''re not as overwhelming, but because of certain issues I have with genjutsu, I focused more on training my Presence to use as a substitute.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± he replied, then sat up with a much stiffer posture and more commanding voice. ¡°Jonin Candidate Uzumaki Daichi. Here are your orders. You will lead your cell, and launch an assault as we''ve discussed on the Blue Command Post immediately upon the start of the war-games. You will first block communications, retreat or reinforcements using aerial assets and personal seals, then assault the post, rescue the hostages, and execute the Blue Leader. You will turn as many as possible, and execute the rest.

    ¡°Upon success of the first part of your mission and your report by communications seal, you will proceed at maximum practical speed to the main combat region. There, you will announce your success and use Presence techniques to turn as many of the former Blue team to our side. You will meet up with the local command squad, and launch aerial assets, striking at the White Command Post. New orders may be given as the situation develops. Are these orders understood, and do you accept your mission?¡± In unison, we bowed our heads and replied.

    ¡°Yes Sir!¡±

 Chapter 39: Game Breaking

    Chapter 39: Game Breaking

    Honestly, I was pretty stoked about our mission within the war-game. It was the best use of our squad, and even though it was just a game, it would earn us some good reputation within the village. Plus, when it leaked, which it would, it would give the world a totally incorrect impression of me. Instead of being ¡°that scary fucker with ridiculous strategic-class jutsu¡± I''d be ¡°that monster you cannot fight at close range.¡±

    It was basic strategy, laid out by Sun-Tzu. Appear weak where you are strong, and strong where you are weak. While my close range combat was good, it wasn''t really the best, especially if they could overcome my Presence. Engage me at mid to long range though? You''d be lucky to last seconds.  And shaping enemy engagements that way helped my survivability a lot. My new armor, even though it wasn''t a full set of body seals, took care of a lot of the threats that fell under the category of ¡°ranged assassination¡± methods, and my body was highly resistant to even the deadliest toxins due to the absurd levels of chakra powering my Uzumaki bloodline and Kurama¡¯s assistance.

    The war-games started at dawn on a Monday, with the first six hours being restricted to your ¡°starting-zone¡± to make traps, defenses and preparations. The war-games ended at sunrise on Saturday, or when one side had won. During those first hours, Yasu set up protections for Sachiko and a trapped fall-back position for our squad, while Sachiko launched one of her Pelicans and I prepared the jamming-seal. Off to the side, there was a judge with a black and yellow striped sash and head-cover watching our team. With our tasks completed, we ate some food and caught a quick nap. Ten minutes before the games started, I trotted over to the examiner.

    ¡°Examiner-san, I have a question. You are using a seal-based communications system, correct?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes, why?¡±

    ¡°This seal,¡± I answered, pointing at the seal I had prepared, ¡°will jam all Konoha communication seals in the region. I was wondering if this fell under the rules for wide-effect jutsu that the judges make orders on to simulate rather than the jutsu actually getting used.¡± The examiner looked pretty interested at the possibilities.

    ¡°You can do that? Let me ask my superior.¡± He activated the communication seal, then spent a few moments talking to one of the higher examiners. ¡°Alright, so the ruling is, if you can activate it for thirty seconds at the start of the test, then deactivate it, and we will issue a ruling not to use communication seals in this combat area.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, examiner-san. As a note, my squad''s communications are immune to this particular seal, and I have left a communicator with my commander that is on our communications net.¡± With the ruling given, I returned to Yasu and Sachiko. I gave the seal to Sachiko to activate it when the round started. Yasu and I went to the edge of our starting zone, ready to blitz through the forest and attack the enemy command post about one mile away. We heard a loud trumpet-call starting the exams, and were off.

    ¡°Comms check,¡± I called out as we ran through the woods.

    ¡°Yasu, up,¡± Yasu replied.

    ¡°Sachiko, up. Jammer active. Pelican overhead. Showing your targetting information too,¡± Sachiko added. The HUD-projector seal that I used could link in with the Pelican controls, allowing me to effectively designate targets. A few seconds later, Sachiko continued. ¡°Showing one messenger squad, three chunin candidates at a guess, leaving the command post. Orders?¡±

    ¡°Just the one? Track, do not engage until out of sight, then engage with DEWS.¡± We were already coming up on the post, and entering the boundary of the enemy''s starting region. Yasu took point, and we both started moving more slowly, checking for traps using our sensing and special vision modes to notice the reflection from wires. Yasu had a Void Sensor, a seal that used vibrations to detect hidden rooms or spaces, but that could also detect pit-traps. He pointed a few out to me, and we traced a safe path through the defenses.

    ¡°Targets out of sight of the command post, now engaging. Target one and two down,¡± I heard from Sachiko. ¡°Target three evading, target three down.¡± The messenger squad was officially ¡°dead¡± now. The enemy was likely in a bit of disarray from having their communications disabled, and a messenger from the general combat zone was likely headed our way to find out what was happening.

    ¡°Good job,¡± I replied. ¡°Keep an eye out for reinforcements or an investigation unit from their main force.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    By now, Yasu and I had made it to the edge of the woods surrounding the enemy command post, which was now about a hundred meters away. It was a small, fortified compound with a stone wall that many ninja could simply jump over, and a small stone keep and training ground on the inside. It was likely based off of a military outpost designed for local bandit suppression, with a total population of up to a century, or eighty men and officers. There were likely only a few squads inside. At a guess, one jonin participating in the exam (the Blue commander), a squad of jonin candidates, three to five squads of chunin candidates, and a few dozen clones provided by the judges. That last hundred meters between us and the compound were over open ground. The time for stealth had passed.

    ¡°We''re about to make the assault. Death Experience up in 10 seconds. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Attack!¡± Yasu, of course, could hear me, and Sachiko could too through the communications seal we used. As I said the word ¡°Attack,¡± I flared my presence up to a high setting, and directed my Death Experience at the outpost. I could see a pair of lookouts collapse. At a sprint, we cleared the ground, using Wind and Water jutsu to clear out any mines or traps, then leaped onto the wall. We sent a flurry of capture-bolas, a weapon designed for non-lethal take-down and incapacitation via seals, into the squad of enemies that had been on patrol when they were overwhelmed by my Death Experience.

    ¡°Yasu, break off and find the hostages, then get them out. I''m going for their commander,¡± I said after we blew through a second story wall into a corridor. Pro-ninja tip; even if you blow through the entry-way, it could be trapped or defended. Blowing through a second (or third, depending on building height) story wall into a corridor, especially where there wasn''t a window to sneak in, had the lowest probability of being trapped.

    He nodded, and set off to the left, looking for the pair of physically small, genin sized chakra signatures given off by the clones pretending to be hostages. I meanwhile went right, towards the concentration of jonin level signatures. I passed a pair of collapsed chunin candidates who had been guarding the entrance to the room with the high level signatures, and slapped on capture-seals. In the room, there were a trio of jonin candidates, the Blue Commander, the Blue Leader, and a judge, all incapacitated and semi-catatonic. It looked like they had been able to at least resist my Presence at long range, as they had drawn weapons and arranged themselves in a defensive posture, but were overcome when I got closer.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Taking out a dull kunai with paint to simulate wounds, I ¡°executed¡± the usurper¡¯s stand in, and used capture seals on the jonin and jonin candidates.

    ¡°Command center taken. Four officers captured, enemy leader executed,¡± I reported to my teammates. ¡°Yasu, what''s happening?¡±

    ¡°Breaching the hostage room now. Hostages secure, I am returning to the fallback. Sachiko, can I get some cover? I''ll be leaving how we came in.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Good job, guys,¡± I heard Sachiko say. And it really was. The op went down pretty much as well as could have been hoped. Hostages safely rescued, enemy leader dead, no casualties, total capture of remaining enemy forces.

    ¡°Alright, I''m going to pull back on the Presence. I think we got everyone inside the base. Time to see how many will turn to our side.¡± With that, I dropped my Death Experience, and watched as everyone regained consciousness.

    For most, it was a bit of a disturbing wake-up; no ninja likes to wake up unable to control their body after being knocked out, and the judge was the only one that wasn''t restrained with a capture seal. For the examiner though, after he figured out what was going on, he clearly thought the situation hilarious. He wasn''t openly laughing, but the scene was pretty funny.

    One battle-hardened jonin, supposed commander of an entire faction¡¯s forces, and three experienced jonin candidates all captured, all glaring at me. All of them at least in their twenties. And then, me, grinning a bit, fourteen years old, not yet fully grown, having beaten them within minutes after overcoming not just them and their guards and over six hours worth of traps, but having beaten them without even being seen.

    How''s that for ninja!

    ¡°Gentlemen, your leader is dead. I am here to offer you an opportunity to join our team, the winning team, and show you''re capable of more than fainting. What say you?¡± They were, of course, silent. The seal didn''t let them talk.

    ¡°Oh, silly me, I forgot!¡± I said while making a handseal and triggering the ¡°interrogation¡± mode of the capture seal. It still screwed with the nerves below the neck and the chakra system, but at least allowed them to talk. I could see them moving their jaws a bit as the numbness wore off. Then one of them, the group''s commander who looked a bit like a Nara, spoke up.

    ¡°Hah. How irritating. Now I know why cousin Shikata was so cheerful, with you as a trump. I guess we''ll join you.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic. Now, let''s collect the rest of the chunin candidate guards, and go turn the main combat troops. Forward for Red!¡±

    Honestly, this childishness on my part was also part of the plan. While I wanted to win, and become a jonin, I also wanted to avoid the main combat forces. It was dangerous, uncomfortable and unnecessary. I much preferred working on my seals, training, and the occasional investigation or domestic operation. Relations with Sachiko in a military ninja unit would also have been much more difficult. And, to this goal of slacking being seen as a genius, politically important eccentric unsuited to larger military forces would be useful. Short of a major conflict brewing, I''d likely be able to avoid it.

    After collecting and getting the allegiance of the chunin candidates, all save one with some anger management issues who we had to ¡°kill¡±, and Yasu handing off the hostages to their escort out of the combat zone, we proceeded to the main combat zone.

    Coming through our ranks, I began to project glory towards myself and my allies, the futility of challenging us, and a rather large heaping of sheer power to show that I could back up what I said, then released a massive Flash-bang firework to make sure I had everyone''s attention. At my suggestion, Red forces had withdrawn a bit, and I had everyone''s attention. I cast a voice-amplifying wind jutsu and began to speak.¡±

    ¡°Forces of the usurper! Your Lord is dead. Your commanders have changed sides. Those that follow their rightful ruler, and join us will be forgiven their misguided actions,¡± I channeled pride, desire, rightfulness, hope for a better future. ¡°Those that do not will be destroyed,¡± at this, I channeled sheer Doom. Not quite Death, but more the idea that no matter what they try, they will fail. Having a lengthy death-sentence on my head in my past life, I was rather adept with this power too.

    Those listening and feeling weren''t thinking of this as an exam anymore. Oh sure, those at the edges of the zone, or those that were at the very top of their game might have resisted. But given the situation (their side had already lost), my influence, the defection of their strategic leadership, and now so many of them removing their blue sashes, only a few die-hards were willing to keep going, and they were quickly overwhelmed.

    Our objective completed, our squad returned to the command post while the newly unified Northern Force got organized and went to the waiting zone until they could deploy to the ¡°Southern Combat Region,¡± where the Blue remnants and White forces were still in conflict.

    Yasu, Sachiko and I launched our Custom Pelicans, and got an examiner to rule them within striking range in fifteen minutes. So for a few minutes, they flew circles above our battleground, as we looked over maps of the White Command Post and likely enemy locations. Ruled within range, we unleashed (imaginary) hell. Many of the examiners had served with Uzumaki Pelican support, and after we described what munitions we were loaded with, they quickly ruled a complete destruction while we put on a bit of a fireworks show by launching munitions into the air.

    We purposefully left a mercenary company messenger post alone so that they could bring word of the ¡°destruction¡± to the remaining White forces, most of whom chose to E&E (escape and evade) for at least some points. The White forces were simulating operating as mercenaries in a foreign area; a successful E&E back to Konoha meant at least avoiding losing those ninja, so it was worth something.

    As the White forces melted away, the newly enlarged Red forces showed up, swallowed up the majority of the remaining Blue, and hunted down any White groups that hadn''t ran fast enough. The conflict, which had been scheduled for a few days, was over before nightfall. We, as the architects of this victory, were pretty stoked. Our commander came over with a smile that seemed a bit exasperated.

    ¡°Congratulations,¡± he stated.

    ¡°Thank you, commander,¡± I replied with a grin. He sighed.

    ¡°You do realize you''ve completely broken this exam, don''t you?¡± he asked. I shrugged in response.

    ¡°What can I do? We''re just too awesome,¡± I said smiling a bit more.

    ¡°Truly a troublesome squad. I suspect they''ll re-run the exam starting tomorrow, but without you participating.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I do apologize. Your plans will need to be re-worked.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Well, if I can win a second time I''m fairly sure to be get the position I want, so it''s not all bad.¡±

    ¡°And you avoided any issues in having me assigned to you,¡± I commented.

    ¡°I said no such thing,¡± he protested fake-innocently with a smirk. I laughed. ¡°Anyways, well done. Good luck with your promotion board; I don''t think I need to say it, but it was interesting working with you. I''d like to do so again in the future, and will be strongly recommending your promotion to jonin.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± I said sincerely. That was a pretty hefty compliment. ¡°I''ll look forward to working together in the future as well.¡±

    It turned out that Shikata''s suspicions were correct. We were told by an examiner that the exam was being repeated to get a better idea as to how others would perform, but that our squad was excused.

    The promotion boards were pushed back a day, and so we had a full ten days before our boards, and a total of two weeks until the promotion ceremonies. From how Sachiko was looking at me, I figured that a lot of the time was going to be spent in my bedroom. Yasu picked up on her look and my grin, and told us he was going camping and training, and to contact him if anything came up.

    In the back of my head a certain primordial entity just chuckled.

 Chapter 40: Promotion

    Chapter 40: Promotion

    A rather raucous week and a half with Sachiko followed our victory in the exams. Of course, we didn''t just spend time in the bedroom; while it was fun, and decent exercise for a civilian, we still trained a few hours every day to keep our edge. Still, the week was, to pardon the pun, fucking awesome.

    Honestly, missing sex when I didn''t have the hormonal drive for it, and was further lacking the physical capacity for it, was bad enough. As a teenager, with all the boost to my vitality that chakra gave, and Sachiko''s propensity to flirt (or at least her equivalent of flirting), and most painfully her obvious willingness and physical contact¡­ the fact I lasted so long is a testament to the strength of my meditations. After such a long dry-spell, it was great to just take some time off, relax, and try everything with my partner.

    Granted, we didn''t try everything. But we did try a lot. Sachiko was, if anything, more desperate than I. She was significantly more developed, and had been nursing her particular brand of what I eventually decided to call ¡°semi-fanatical devotion with lustful intent¡± for several years. We experimented extensively, pushed both of our boundaries, and committed acts which were literally damning on at least three worlds I''ve since visited. The break was awesome, though I was glad for my regeneration; chafing would have brought things to an end earlier otherwise.

    Towards the end of the week, I called back Yasu so we could discuss what type of squad we wanted to be in the future. Previously, we had been an upper level territorial trouble-shooting team. We covered a territory, and were typically fairly independent. We would normally receive mission requests from the local government organizations, or the occasional bulletin from Konohagakure''s Intelligence department. We hunted missing nin, or forwarded reports of high level missing nin to Hunter squads. We mostly took on organized crime, the occasional mundane psychopath, some counterintelligence work, corporate espionage, that sort of thing.

    The problem was that we weren''t really fit to keep doing the same thing. It was a practically a given that we''d all be at least Tokujo by the end of the exams, and we weren''t capable of the specialized performance needed.

    Take investigations, for example. Before, we would make do with our own skills, and call in a specialist team, perhaps with Inuzuka or Aburame for tracking or forensic analysis, or Yamanaka for interrogation. As a top level territorial squad, we needed to be able to do all that, and more, while covering a larger area. Most areas didn''t have top level territorial squads for this reason, and those that did, tended to have squads that were specifically formulated at the genin level to include three specialists, each capable of covering each other¡¯s weaknesses.

    As powerful as my team was, we weren''t true specialists, and lacked the bloodlines needed to do a truly great job. We''d have been sufficient, at least in time, but it would basically be a dead end for our ninja careers, and a waste of our potential. So we needed something else to talk about with the promotion board, a new specialty to focus on during our training at the jonin academy.

    Other potential avenues had their own issues. Combat specialization or being an ¡°Elite¡± Division Jonin Squad would make us far too well known too soon. Sachiko and Yasu were quite capable of taking on standard jonin in combat. With the Advanced Personal Armor System, or APAS, they were capable of giving even top jonin a challenge. With me backing them up, we were a terror to face.

    Which was exactly the issue. We were strong enough that if we became well known for our strength, the enemy would form special units to counter us and take us out. Granted, we likely had more tricks than they''d account for, and the new semi-autonomous command seals built into our air-support gave us a load of back-up, but it was a situation I preferred to avoid.  Frankly, those on the level of Madara, or one of the Kages, or their top assassins, were far too likely to be able to kill us regardless.  And hostile villages would send such titans to strangle us in our proverbial cradles.

    I was a powerhouse, with massive, controlled chakra combined with top level elemental manipulation and sealing unknown outside of the top echelons of the Uzumaki. But I hadn''t taken anything into the range of myth and legend, getting by with extra chakra and a bit of cleverness. I couldn''t match the First Hokage''s forming of a forest with a quick jutsu, the Second''s ridiculous control of water, or Madara''s ability to genjutsu the fucking Kyubi with a single look. Even Sarutobi''s ability to extemporize jutsu and use his control over multiple elements to imitate bloodline techniques was beyond me.

    Were their legends exaggerated? Perhaps. I''d never seen these people cut loose, go all out. More worrying though, all the legends likely had abilities they kept in reserve. And the ones I just listed are only the legends of a single village.

    I was in no way ready to challenge these monsters. But in my full power, I had no doubt I''d be capable of just as legendary acts, and so I had to take these things seriously. I was close, and could give them pause, but I wasn''t up to their level. Not yet. I had no desire to put myself in a position likely to challenge them anytime soon.

    What might normally happen at this stage in our careers was that we''d split up, at least some of the time. Again, not really an option; they were my retainers, we were a diplomatic exchange unit with what was now one of the most fearsome militaries in the known world, and most importantly there was no way I was giving up what was mine.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    That really limited our options, and other possible tracks weren¡¯t easy either.  We were too young and effective at field-work to go into administration or analysis. Much of the research we did or even could do was classified by Uzushiogakure (or, alternatively, by Konohagakure), so that was out. And we had none of the military experience required for the ranks we would fill if we went into the Legion Ninja Auxiliary.

    After crossing out most options, and taking into account our political position, there was one specialization we picked out.

    Diplomacy.

    I know, I know. I was not exactly the most diplomatic of people. My first instinct with Water was to use a WMD (even if I was later proven justified).  My actions within Konohagakure included some fairly risky maneuvers when I arrived, and that was with me knowing that we depended on their goodwill for defense. It all worked out in the end, but it was a tad fraught.

    As I grew stronger, my penchant for daredevil diplomacy only got worse, not that I had all that many options to use it. Honestly, it got to the point where I realized that it wasn¡¯t just the standard arrogance of the powerful, but partially an effect of my chakra density and volume telling me that I''m in some way grander. I took measures to limit this tendency once I knew about it, of course, but that sort of attitude is rarely desirable in a diplomat.

    In all other respects though, becoming part of the Diplomatic Division, itself part of the Strategic Intelligence Corps, was the right move. The Diplomatic Division included three groups within it. The first, and actually the largest, was the Diplomatic Division HQ&Support or the Diplomatic HQS. This consisted mostly of chunin intelligence analysts who collated intelligence from all across Konohagakure''s massive information gathering apparatus, and distilled it into something useful. The administration and trainers for the Diplomatic Division also fell into this group, as did a number of advisers for the Hokage. Needless to say, this was not the group we''d be joining.

    The next largest group were the Diplomatic Guards. These were typically jonin or tokujo led chunin combat units that were extensively trained in diplomatic protocol and VIP protection. These guys were pretty humorless, and when I met them gave me the strangest impression. It was like someone had taken the British Buckingham guard, and a bunch of ninja, and somehow merged them. Fairly prestigious, they tended to recruit from longstanding veterans, and often selected those from the more upper-class clans who had served with the Legions and had experience dealing was the more difficult lords or samurai. We were, frankly, too high ranking to be part of a Guards unit for anyone below the greatest lords or a Daimyo, but were too young to guard such people.  So we wouldn¡¯t be going there.

    The group we decided we wanted to join was the Arbitrators; as is so often the nature of such things, they were both the smallest and the most interesting of any group within the Diplomatic Division. The Arbitrators filled a very odd role. In a dispute, one or both parties might hire an arbitration team from Konohagakure. Arbitrators would then fill a neutral role, and help all parties come to an agreement that they could accept.

    Arbitrators might also be hired as advisers or even advocates, and it wasn''t unheard of for two arbitration teams from the same village to be facing each other over a negotiating table. They would often be used when a merchant house, for example, wanted to negotiate with the local government or some nobles, but lacked sufficient social standing to do so. There was always a vague hint of threat in ninja involvement too which added a certain lubricating frisson to the negotiations. Often things were tense enough by the time Arbitrators were brought in that they had to be on extreme guard, and many assassinations and assaults (both by those in negotiation and third parties) had been prevented by arbitration team members.

    Of course, despite our supposed ¡°neutrality¡±, Arbitrators were still loyal to Konohagakure. So, while trying to maintain an appearance of strict neutrality, they were also responsible for intelligence gathering and secretly shaping any agreements such that they were beneficial to Konohagakure. Arbitrators were allowed a limited authority to make deals for Konohagakure as well; for example, a trade deal might include a guaranteed rate on insurance or ninja guards, or possibly an investment from or sales channel through Konohagakure. Some arbitration contracts strictly forbid the Arbitrators from acting as an interested party; other times, it was one of the services that the clients specifically desired.

    When I heard about them, I decided this was the perfect job for us. It was basically what the Jedi in Star-Wars did, except that as ninja we were more like grey Jedi, or Sith pretending to be Jedi. And I meant that to the full extent; travel, adventure, combat, trade, economics, subtle intelligence gathering, even assassination were skills required of a good Arbitrator. It was perfect for us, and would teach me what I needed to be a more effective Lord and Consul.

    While the Arbitration job sounded awesome, it was also highly competitive. I had no real worries that my team would get it, though. One of the main reasons I was sure we could get the position was that Arbitrators needed to have a high social rank. Between that and the high performance requirements, the arbitration sub-division was always understrength.

    But as a full Lord and Consul of Whirlpool, I had enough rank to represent people in front of a Daimyo, or organize negotiations between rival Daimyo''s courts if necessary.  Only a handful of Konoha ninja were of similar social rank, and most of them were senior members within the more military or shadowy parts of the hierarchy, since those allowed them more influence and power within the village.  There was no way they would have wanted to refuse me the position.

    As for access to training and intelligence, it was great. We could take pretty much any training courses we wanted in our downtime, and frequently had long stretches for personal use in between missions. We got access to whatever intelligence was needed for each mission, and had general access to intelligence and analysis on the national and multinational level, which meant that my companies and fiefdom would get the benefits from that too.

    It turned out, the examination board agreed with me. I was promoted to jonin, while Sachiko and Yasu each made tokujo, and we were assigned to training starting the next week. The training was a bit odd; partially because the Arbitrators were such a small group, with less than a half dozen jonin squads at any time, we actually had a unique training program and we were typically the only students. Our trainers tended to be Arbitrators taking time off in between missions or analytical experts with a focus on the subject material. This was actually pretty fantastic, since it meant they taught as quickly as we could learn. We had a year set aside for training, and I wanted to get as much as possible out of it.

 Chapter 41: Training

    Chapter 41: Training

    The training was more rigorous than I had imagined. We learned the standard diplomatic conventions for all the different nations, as well as any lord''s court which deviated significantly from the norm. We learned how to talk, behave, what to wear, the proper gifts, ways of eating, and what to eat in what order to deliver what message. And that was just the beginning before progressing further into poetry, song, dance, theater, literature, both doing so ourselves and appreciation of the same for as many cultures as they could cram in. Some of it was actually quite good, and I memorized enough of the best literature that I could, in a future life, plagiarize (if that was even a possible cross-dimensional crime) for fame and profit.

    Sachiko and Yasu, lacking my mental techniques, had a bit of a harder time, though we were all taught advanced Memory Palace and other memorization techniques to improve our recall and begin making our minds harder to interrogate. The mental representation techniques were a bit strange for me; by combining mind and soul, I had in a way skipped that stage. I had no worries of my mind degrading, and the amount or similarity of memories didn''t really impact how easily or quickly I could access them. I knew my soul and mind on an instinctive level, and that was enough. As for protecting my mind and memories, apart from my own unique being I was protected by the highest level seals. What the mental techniques did improve however was my ability to visualize, organize and cross-link thoughts and memories, somewhat improving the rate at which I could connect concepts and innovate. In other words, while not necessary, or even particularly helpful for individual memories, concepts or thoughts, the mental organization was useful as a kind of database and library.

    I had plenty to add to my mind as well. Apart from the cultural education and diplomatic conventions, there was just so much trivia. For example, we had to learn more than a thousand insignia for the noble houses as well as prominent merchants, guilds, and townships. Honestly, I without my perfect memory formation technique it would have been a real pain, and absolutely impossible for a regular person without the techniques we were taught. With those, however, and my own childhood as the somewhat distant scion of a noble house, I excelled in the niceties.

    Sachiko and Yasu actually had it comparatively easy. They already knew how to be retainers to an Uzumaki lord, which was most of what was required of them, and my grandfather Uzumaki Kenichi likely made even the most formal of our trainers seem uncouth. Suffice to say, our trainers were more than pleased with our progress.

    The not-so-niceties were very interesting as well. We were taught standard jonin ciphers, keys, recognition signs, signals, battle-cant, and memorized lists of supply caches and contacts. We learned more about poisons and subtle assassination, stealth, infiltration, covert intelligence gathering, how to read body language, even some seduction and counter-seduction. Sachiko took a specialist subtle genjutsu training, while Yasu learned to be even more of a ghost. For my part, I trained in my swordsmanship with the White Fang and learned all the varieties of formalized duel etiquette.

    We spent a full six weeks on a diplomatic bodyguard course, in case it was necessary to protect a VIP; I hated it, and banned either of my retainers from sacrificing themselves for anyone, myself included (though I doubted they''d obey in the latter situation). I tested out of the seal-communications and secure-space creation sections of the training designed to teach us how to set up secure rooms and communications to report to Konoha. The section on detecting bugs and other listeners or watchers was quite informative, however, and led to a security overhaul of our own consulate.

    Perhaps the most interesting section of our training, however, came from our trade and economics training. It wasn''t something that had been covered in detail at any point before, and my own efforts were based almost entirely on my own best guesses and precepts I''d remembered from my first life. Comparing historical analysis and a basic knowledge of a semi free-market capitalism with a feudal-renaissance filled with ninja-sorcerers wasn''t exactly a perfect fit, however, and I''d always been an engineering/science type rather than a grand financial genius.

    The economics training supported my belief that the world had once been significantly more advanced; their economic and political theory was very well developed. By the end of the year I had no doubt I could whip out a dissertation-worthy work on similar societies. My ¡°assistant Consul¡± from Whirlpool, who was a trade and policy expert, was always happy to discuss these matters as well, and provide a more Uzushio-centric viewpoint.

    Of course, the Arbitrator training wasn''t the only thing I did during the year. I also trained extensively outside of it. I had decided to focus on three things:

    First, I wanted the kage bunshin. I doubted it was as it had been described in manga/anime of my original world, but even if it were just a bunshin capable of jutsu that was hugely helpful and thus worth learning.

    Second, I wanted to figure out how to achieve the Hiraishin. Instantaneous movement at low chakra cost was a ¡°holy grail¡± jutsu, and since Kushina hadn''t come to Konohagakure to train Minato in sealing, he wasn''t going to be developing it.

    Third, I wanted to become a sage. Sage powers were a massive boost, and represented a type of chakra knowledge and understanding that I wanted for no other reason than bragging right. I had strong suspicions though that those techniques would be somewhat applicable across all of reality, regardless of universe or plane. Plus, if that toe-rag Naruto could achieve it, I had no doubts I could as well.

    Getting my hands on the kage bunshin actually turned out to be hilariously easy. The basic shadow clone technique wasn''t restricted, only the Mass Shadow Clone technique, with the basic being available to jonin. I had learned the technique within a day, and by the end of the week had reverse engineered the Mass Shadow Clone and Exploding Shadow Clone techniques.

    It was a good news/ bad news situation. Good news, the clones had high combat potential. Though a bit slower and weaker than I was (and massively less durable), they were otherwise combat ready, which was about what I expected. Because of the durability limitations, they were more limited in the extent of their chakra reinforcement, both physical and mental. The clones could use jutsu however, and think independently, both of which were the main restrictions for elemental clones. With the exploding clone technique, they were dangerous to dispel in close combat, and the clones were even capable of a limited version of my Death Experience. I could make a load of them with my chakra reserves, and did discover they were capable of solid transformations. I could make a host of clones capable of fighting chunin, or a few that could act as jutsu artillery or strike-craft pilots. I could also use the clones to test seals I developed that fell in between the ¡°test yourself¡± and the ¡°test in a special testing chamber¡± danger scale, or search through large volumes of information for something specific.

    The bad news was that the clones did not have some special memory transfer ability. What they did have was the ability to transfer a few images via chakra resonance, but it was a specific technique that dispelled the clone. Expert users could build in the ability to do the image transfer on death. So, while they could scout, they couldn''t train for me. Furthermore, they were somewhat focused on whatever I wanted them to do when they were made, and were significantly less intelligent than I. At a guess, it had something to do with how much of my mental chakra or chi I used, and how well I structured it. Thankfully, being bright enough to begin with and having an excellent idea of my mental chakra patterns, I was capable of kage bunshin that were reasonably intelligent and useful.

    Long story short, the kage bunshin was useful, and represented a great combat multiplier (literally a multiplier, I was about two to six times as effective just knowing this technique, depending on the situation) but didn''t represent anything game changing. I was happy that it was so useful, but disappointed that it wasn''t some magic ¡°I win at all ninja arts because I have the most Chakra!¡± technique. I had no real desire for ¡°fair play¡± after so long as a ninja, not that I had much before then either.

    The disappointment grew as I wasted months on the Hiraishin. I could go fast. Really fast. But the problem was I couldn''t get anything instantaneous, and the speed scaled with a bit more than a squared amount of chakra. In other words, doubling the speed required about four times as much chakra. Actually it was closer to six times as much chakra, the equation for the jutsu seemed to be something along the lines of:

    [speed] = S

    [Chakra used] =(S)^2 + (S) + [constant].

    To make things worse, as I started to push the jutsu and seals I was using, the chakra use started to get less efficient. It was maddening.

    I tried a number of things beyond seals that basically translated to ¡°put the thing you affect there¡±, but had to tap out when I started getting too close to seals that transited through other dimensions. I had a theory that by moving to another plane or dimension, one with a perfect and consistent mapping function to that of the Naruto-verse I was in, I might be able to cheat. In other words, that there was some dimension out there with distances and vectors that perfectly correlated to the distances in the dimension I was already in. If that was the case, I could ¡°step¡± into that other dimension, transit a few feet, ¡°step¡± back into my dimension, and end up traveling miles until I was only a few feet away from where I wanted to be.

    The problem was I was unsure if I should be transiting dimensions or universes or planes (there was a difference), and mistakes in this sort of thing tended to result in Cthulhu-type entities taking notice. It was in fact risky enough that it was illegal for an Uzumaki to research without the proper contingencies. Even my borderline research ended up losing several clones to the point I never even got any chakra resonance images from them. No way was I using that.

    So I shelved the Hiraishin for a time, and used a bit of that time to practice the shunshin, specifically using it without hand-seals. Once I had that mastered, I intended to try partial shunshin to accelerate my body in combat and make myself a real speed demon. Unfortunately, my chakra control, though excellent, was still adjusting to my body changing from puberty, and I reached the limitations of what was safe until I finished growing physically. So no partial shunshin for me.

    Part of the reason I spent time on the shunshin was that I had no idea how to train the Sage arts. I didn''t have a summons, and certainly not one with experience with senjutsu. I knew that Jiraiya did, but Minato was the heir to those techniques. My grandfather had the Sea-Hawk summons, but I wasn''t sure if they used sage mode and even if they did, one of my uncles had already signed the contract years ago. Frankly, the number of contracts available versus the number of ninja that wanted them meant that I was pretty screwed; at least unless I risked my life with a contract-less summoning technique to summon myself to the demi-plane of whatever summoning animal fit me. I decided that was too risky though, and so spent the month I was somewhat training the shunshin to search the library for any hint as to how to become a sage without a summons to both teach you and prevent natural chakra poisoning.

    Finally, finally, I figured it out, and when I did I wanted to smack myself. The secret was in what everyone was told when they start tree-walking: ¡°By mastering tree-walking, you can truly master any jutsu.¡± I doubted that anyone else had figured it out from Hashirama''s semi deranged ramblings; they just liked the saying since it sounds wise.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    The saying was, in fact, the first Hokage''s though, and that is what made me look at it a bit deeper, since he was the only person I found who was reputably reported to have developed Sage powers without a summons to help. The man was apparently something of an idiot-savant when it came to chakra. People thought it was because he could use Mokuton (tree release), but after my realization I believed that Mokuton came about because of his earth and water abilities and large exposure to natural tree chakra as a child.

    When I describe Hashirama as an idiot savant, I mean that quite literally. He was notorious for taking things at face value and exhibited several other signs of the syndrome; in fact, the Senju on a whole showed a predilection for at least mild savant syndrome which led to both their random areas of expertise, as well as some of their slightly less public issues (or, in the case of Tsunade''s alcoholism, more public issues). As the Senju inbred more and more, the negative aspects began to overwhelm the positive, partially leading to their decline.

    As for Hashirama, he was famous for his inspired understanding of chakra. What most people don''t realize is how much savants have contributed, despite whatever issues they had. For example, in my original life, on Earth, much of mathematics and engineering owed their progress in actually making calculations to savants, at least until the advent of the computer. The logarithmic and sin/cos/tan charts used during the 19th century, for example, were often generated by savants gathered from all over Great Britain under a number of mathematicians at Oxford and Cambridge. Similar practices were in place in France and elsewhere. The famous concept of ¡°Mentats,¡± a type of artificial savant used as human computers to replace electronic ones in Herbert''s Dune may have been based on the historical use of savants to perform the kinds of calculations we now perform by machine.

    After I figured out that Hashirama was a savant, I realized that he had in fact hidden the secret to the sage arts in his description of tree walking. Whether this was on purpose or lack of communications for certain concepts was uncertain.

    Someone who mastered tree-walking didn''t actually use any of their own chakra. They used the tree''s chakra. Nature''s chakra. Anyone capable of this was capable (in theory, at least) of high-efficiency healing that used the patient¡¯s own energy. They were (again, at least in theory) capable of manipulating anything with chakra, first with a touch, then at range. That was an honestly terrifying possibility, and what I decided to aim for. They could use jutsu in the right environment without using a drop of their own chakra.

    One of the important differences between Nature chakra and that of a person was the potential; Nature chakra can be thought of as unfiltered light, while that of a person is a specific color. This meant that it was harder to block a technique that uses Nature chakra, since a person''s chakra was only really effective at blocking their own bandwith and an opposing bandwith. So if I became a good enough Sage I would have been able to remotely destabilize chakra effects (including enemy jutsu), create my own effects at range by using natural chakra manipulation (something enemies couldn¡¯t track), and empower my justsu even more.

    In other words, a sage could make stronger techniques, do so with less energy, and can even potentially manipulate others'' chakra, or at least that of the environment for some truly epic possibilities. And that was just the beginning; I had ideas as to how to use Sage Arts to perform what was basically magic. It all came from tree-walking. Of course it wasn''t all that easy; I already knew, for example, that the source of natural chakra effected the energy signal (or color of the light, to use the previous analogy), so unlike using my own chakra, using a sage technique could be easier or harder depending on where I was. But I had a direction for the next major upgrades to my ninja capabilities, and so I dove right in.

    After I developed that theory, I spent months meditating while sitting sideways on a tree, trying to develop the technique. And I succeeded. Granted, it was the absolute lowest form of Sage arts. All I was capable of was wall-walking on a number of surfaces without any chakra use. It was useful for stealth or those without much chakra reserves, but not all that great. I was having real difficulties accessing the tree''s chakra, possibly because I was more oriented with Wind and Water than with Earth.

    Overall, it improved my chakra manipulation and recovery, and I began a long term project as to how much natural chakra I could control, for how long, at what range, and how much I could absorb safely. It was painfully slow progress, but I felt that it was reasonable for the two hours a day I spent on the task and total lack of any guiding information. I expected to be capable of something useful after about a year, and something astounding a couple years after that. That was slow for me, but fast enough to be worth pursuing.

    As a further bonus, while I was meditating I figured out what I was missing with the Hiraishin. It was a time-space technique. I had thought that the ¡°time¡± was a holdout from when people understood the relation between time and space, that it had some meaning due to the Elemental Nations'' history. I was wrong. The Hiraishin worked, or at least this was my theory, by taking some defined space and making the entire region indeterminably defined by time, making it also undefined in space. The trick was controlling the space of that non-definition, effectively superimposing the space along some vector, and then reinserting the defined space into time at the lowest energy location, which would be by the target seal.

    That''s why Minato was the ¡°Yellow Flash¡±; for a non-moment of time, he occupied all the space along that vector and none of it, resulting in some weird visual artifact effect. It was actually, from my initial calculations, a fucking genius solution. Oh, dangerous as hell, and vulnerable to some exotic attacks and a number of sealing-field interactions, but both the sealing knowledge and especially chakra requirements were pretty low compared to the Hiraishin¡¯s functionality.

    My own version would be a lot safer and a bit more chakra intensive. For example, I planned a triangulation technique to come out anywhere within a space defined by the seals. But that alone would be a major challenge, since it would have to respond to change the effected region rather than act as a beacon.

    Still, I had a starting off point; the rest was engineering.

    By the end of the year, I hadn''t quite figured out the seals I needed, let alone the array including the safety features, but I was making a lot of progress; I had a very productive collaboration going on with Hikaru jii-san. When I did finish was going to ask the Head Priest of the Uzushiogakure sealers to take a look, since he specialized in these kinds of effects and liked me enough.

    Perhaps most usefully, I was finally really advancing my seals intuition. Before, I was advancing my sealing knowledge, but not really the level at which I understood how seals and reality interacted. It was more ¡°Applied Seals Engineering¡± than the kind of ¡°Sealing Scientific Philosophy¡± needed to advance as a sealer. As the year of training came to an end, I finally broke through and achieved Seventh level intuition, making myself a High Master of sealing at the age of fifteen.

    The Head Priest actually sent me a note that I ¡°wasn''t the youngest to achieve High Mastery, since (he) knew (I) would be wondering.¡± He went on to note though that he was very impressed, and with a bit of humor that I was obviously a credit to their teaching. My prototype Hiraishin seals were finally done and basically waiting review and testing by the Uzushiogakure Sealing Department, so I expected to be able to start using those anywhere from a few weeks to a few months after I finished my Arbitrator training.

    As the year of training wound to a close, our training focused on current events and political briefings. Generally, not too much had changed. Fire Country had a strong alliance with Whirlpool/Water Country, mirrored by Konohagakure''s alliance with Uzushiogakure and all of the subordinate ninja and samurai forces. Fire Country had further stabilized the alliances with Grass, Waterfall and Rice, and the traditional alliance with Tea Country was going strong.

    Whirlpool, which was then also the capital province of Water Country, had stabilized its own alliance block with the Lands of Hotsprings and Noodles. Frost Country was increasingly influenced by Water-based trading companies, which had largely taken control of the sea-going trade by the combination of Cyclone seals meaning well-protected ships and sets of navigation and seafaring seals meaning faster, more robust vessels capable of carrying larger cargoes. The new air-mail business was showing large profits, and the Uzushiogakure fielded air-force was unmatched and unchallenged. Water Country itself was completely pacified, and happier than ever under its new, relatively enlightened rule. The neighboring island nations Nagi and O''uzu were beginning the long diplomatic dance to improve relations and perhaps form an alliance.

    Wind and River Countries were still trying to recover from their losses at Hanzo the Salamander''s hands following their poorly executed invasion of Rain Country, while Earth Country was too busy trying to replace losses due to their war with Wind and River to cause much trouble. Earth Country was in fact dealing with a small rebellion in the Western Mountain region near the border with Bear and Mountain countries.

    Wind Country was dealing with a rather more serious rebellion, verging on civil war, in their Western River Basin region, which was one of the wealthiest and densest populated regions of the country and somewhat difficult to invade given the massive desert in between it and the Capital or Hidden Sand village. Their Daimyo had just sent in an army to stabilize the situation; if it failed, the situation was likely to become a full on civil war.

    Lightning Country meanwhile was still agitated by their reduced status in the world, and both it and Kumo were becoming more and more belligerent. This linked to a number of ¡°bandit¡± and ¡°pirate¡± actions, and Frost Country was a hotbed of subterfuge and secret conflict. The Fire-Water alliance was interested in curtailing Lightning influence and capability.

    Other than the concern with Lightning, Fire Country, and thus Konohagakure, were interested in three main areas. First, they were interested in establishing friendlier relations with Iron Country. Iron Country was a major source of not just metals, but Chakra metal. It was also now bordered on all sides by Fire Country allies, and under a bit of pressure to establish deeper trade ties including favorable tariffs or even free trade across the border. This went somewhat against their policy of neutrality, and was a major subject of discussion.

    Second, Fire Country was interested in establishing even basic relations with Rain Country. Hanzo had conducted a coup ¨C well, theoretically, bandits overcame the Daimyo''s convoy and killed him, his family, and a hundred-strong company of veteran chakra-wielding samurai but everyone knew the truth. Bandit forces capable of taking on elite chakra active companies didn¡¯t exist. Following that ¡°tragedy¡±, Hanzo had himself declared Daimyo. He then totally closed the border to lawful traffic, which was a problem as Rain Country included the major land-route into Earth Country, as well as access to Claw and Fang Countries. His regime was rumored to be conducting purges of anyone with any loyalties to other lands.

    Furthermore, and least acceptable, Rain was full of disreputable missing ninja and ronin samurai leading bandit bands. Hanzo had a non-interference policy so long as they raided outside of Rain, but aggressively pursued any forces chasing these criminals. Fire and Grass were displeased with the raids, and with Hanzo''s uncooperative nature. Wind, Earth, River and Claw had been raided as well, but were less capable of complaining given recent events and military weaknesses. River country was, however, in talks with Fire Country, which if successful might be cause for more pressure against Hanzo.

    The Daimyo were unhappy with the fact that Hanzo declared himself Daimyo as well, since it was a bad precedent. And Hanzo''s personal power made him something of a threat. If a diplomatic solution failed over the next few months, it was entirely likely that Hanzo would be facing a multinational land-grab backed by strong ninja support and, in the case of joint Fire and Grass forces, air-strikes. The initial diplomatic teams, sent to deal with ¡°Hanzo, Lord of the Hidden Rain Village,¡± had been sent away and forbidden from returning; new teams formed to deal with ¡°Hanzo, Regent of Rain¡± were en-route.

    Third, Fire Country was interested in relations with the Land of Rivers. Although Wind Country had established better relations there a few years prior, the bad taste between them over the failure of the Rain Campaign had cooled relations, and improved the standing of both the pro-Fire and isolationist factions within River¡¯s internal politics. Fire Country was looking to improve relations, not least because it would secure the majority of the western border.

    Apart from the major political events, there was rather a lot of interesting events for trade and merchant houses. The breaking of the pirates operating in Water-Country and the new industry developments in Whirlpool and Water Country had led to a massive expansion of sea-faring trade, with commensurate increases in trade and merchant activity in general. A number of negotiations were available due to this.

    Overall, when my team finally finished our training as Arbitrators, it was a good time to be in the diplomatic/negotiations business.

 Chapter 42: The Gathering Storm

    Chapter 42: The Gathering Storm

    ==================================

    Last time on Joie de Vivre:

    The Land of Lightning is displeased with the current status quo, and their reduced power.  As a result they have been increasingly belligerent, trending towards more and more overt ¡°deniable operations.¡±  Hanzo has seized Rain, angering the Daimyos by his presumption, by the closure of all foreign business through the major trade routes, and by Hanzo¡¯s permissive attitude towards bandits and raiders operating out of his territory so long as they don¡¯t attack Rain¡¯s population.

    But not all the news is bad.  Whirlpool and Water Country have largely eradicated piracy in their waters.  Combined with new industrial developments, this has caused a massive expansion of trade, both to Fire Country¡¯s sphere of influence, and to more exotic locales including the Eastern Continent and lands far to the south.  Meanwhile, the Fire-Whirlpool alliance is going strong, and has brought in most of the surrounding minor nations as lesser partners.

    Daichi and his retainers have recently finished their training as Arbitrators, and are ready to step excitedly into this brave new world.

    ==================================

    ¡°So, you¡¯re offering transportation for our goods, with a price of one part in four of our carried cargoes, said part not to be less than a quarter-koban per five tons of ship, pro-rated for partial loads, with a minimum cargo of a quarter of a hundred-twenty ton ship...¡± one of the merchants I was stuck supervising droned on.

    The first few of these negotiations proved quite fun.  I mean, every bit of the deal that I got better terms on meant more money in my pocket.  Often a lot more.  Then it lost its novelty, people realized they couldn¡¯t take wild advantage of me, and I became a glorified merchant with ninja training.

    See, one of the reasons I was a preferred shipping Arbitrator was that I tended to put my trade ships in their convoys.  I typically got twenty percent of the entire convoy value; ten percent for protection (my ships carried small cannon-seal armed speed-boats for defense), and another ten percent for the service of having current market prices as relayed by my factors via communication seal.  Though that amount could and did vary on a variety of factors, including length of journey, weather and pirate risk factors, etc.

    But boy was it boring.  And because I created so much value, pretty much all the arbitration work I saw for months was shipping.

    I remembered when I was a kid.  Maybe eleven years old or so.  We were in chapel (compulsory at my school), and someone¡¯s Dad had come in to give a talk about what they did.  Yes, we had a good dose of religion, and then a good dose of life-lesson.

    It was very British.

    Anyway, this guy gets up in front of us all, and takes out this thick pad of paper, bound with a flexible plastic spine and cover.  There were hundreds of pages, about a full printer-paper package¡¯s worth, almost exploding with various sticky pads coming off at all angles.  And this guy proudly started to talk about his career as a lawyer.  Specifically, a shipping contract lawyer.  He described how interesting his job was, how he methodically accounted for every possibility.  If the shipped coffee spoiled what penalties there were.  Inspection of the coffee on either end.  Time schedules.  Costs.  Cost sharing.  Liability.  Allowed routes and ports.  Disciplinary record limitations on the crew.  And so on.

    To be honest, it was actually a great presentation.  I¡¯d never really thought about the subject before.  I learned a lot.  It was, from an educational standpoint, valuable and interesting.

    I swore that day I would never do shipping contracts.

    I became immortal, learned (ninja) magic, destroyed nations, changed the course of history.  I was a titan of that age, and living the dream of many an otaku back on Earth.

    And what did I end up doing after all of that?  Fucking shipping contracts.

    I just¡­ had no words.  It was so boring that Kurama had literally put himself into a coma.  Fucking shipping contracts, evil enough to beat the Kyubi.  The chakra beast hadn¡¯t even lasted a week, the lucky fox; I wished I could put myself in a coma until it was all over too.  That was all I could say.  Oh, they were just as bad as I¡¯d feared.

    Even worse, I was getting better at them.  At first, it took me a week to go through the negotiation and post ¡°mission¡± analysis.  Then, I could do two a week, then three.  After a few months, half the time I was finished by lunch.  Which just meant that I would get even more fucking shipping contract missions.

    I swore, if I somehow ended up Konoha¡¯s shipping contract expert, I was going to kill someone.

    Literally.  To get out of that twisted reflection of a groundhog day scenario, I¡¯d have happily murdered a lot of people.  Preferably our enemies, but I was starting the think that maybe meditating inside a prison cell would be less tiresome.

    I considered all this as I continued to guide our collective progress through the latest shipping contract while on autopilot myself.  I knew the final result.  The goods supplier would pay one part in five, or twenty percent, to the ship owner.  I would get one part in five.  The insurers (an Uzumaki bank in which I had heavily invested) would get one part in ten.

    Spoilage would be split between the factor and the ship-owners, partially coming out of the portion they in turn paid the crew, so long as it was below a tenth.  If it was more than a tenth, it would come out of the ship-owner¡¯s portion, then the factor¡¯s portion, then my portion, but would be recouped by the insurance at one half the destination or median price for those goods (whichever was lower) for spoilage over a fifth, subject to inspection and investigation.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    See?  I was being corrupted.  It was like the Borg, or some sort of memetic cognitohazard.  Soon I would be standing in a temple telling young ninjas in training about how they too could enter the exciting world of shipping contracts!

    Maybe I should start sending a clone to these things, I mused.  Technically, dereliction of duty.  Practically, a sanity saving measure.

    I was considering having one of my seals ¡°accidentally discharge¡± to get me out of there when Sachiko interrupted.

    ¡°Sir, there¡¯s something you need to see,¡± she said.

    Bless her.  Sachiko was the best.

    ¡°Oh, how terrible,¡± I said, only able to keep from laughing in glee because she pinched me.  ¡°Excuse me, gentlemen.  My assistant, Tokujonin Hisakawa Yasu, will be taking over the negotiations.  He has my full confidence.¡±  With that, I stood and left the room, not even giving them time to protest.  More importantly, not giving Yasu the opening to prevent my leaving.

    Both the merchants and my poor assistant were becoming wise to how I would leave for ¡°emergencies¡± and spend the rest of the afternoon in ¡°necessary strategic consultations¡± with Sachiko in our bedroom.  The merchants had learned that if I was that bored, I¡¯d often give up as much as five percent, a full quarter of my cut, just to get them out the door.  Unfortunately, that meant they tried to make things even worse, at least until I realized I could just ditch after delegating to Yasu.

    I left the room trailed by Sachiko.  As soon as the door was shut my shoulders slumped.  ¡°Oh, Sachiko, thank god.  I was going insane.  So, where exactly is this emergency?¡± I asked, waggling my eyebrows suggestively.

    Sachiko shook her head.  ¡°There¡¯s an actual emergency.  You¡¯re needed back at the residence.¡±

    As an aside, we weren¡¯t even posted somewhere nice.  We were, instead, in a second tier port on the southern peninsular region of Fire Country, bordering the Kanashii ocean.  The port was rapidly expanding without the perennial issue of Water Country pirates/privateers, and responsible for an increasing portion of Fire¡¯s trade with Tea, Sea, Crimson, Moon, and various other Countries that also either bordered or were islands in the Kanashii ocean.

    But for all its importance for trade, it lacked culture to enjoy or a surfeit of high ranked ninja to train with.  The dinners with the local merchant powers were much more chore than pleasure.

    Sachiko was referring to the secured residence, part of the property where we had set up our trade mission.  If she couldn¡¯t mention it without being there, then it was serious.

    I sighed.  When I prayed for deliverance, no matter the source, I wasn¡¯t serious.

    Soon enough we entered the residence.

    ¡°So, what is it?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Priority message,¡± she replied.  ¡°Significant troop buildup in Lightning.¡±

    I snorted.  ¡°So what¡¯s new?¡±  They¡¯d been sabre rattling pretty noisily for over a year and a half, but I didn¡¯t expect them to do anything about it.

    ¡°They¡¯ve established widespread cloud cover using jutsu,¡± she replied.  ¡°Reports from infiltrators are that multiple legions have left barracks and are headed for the border.  A low-pass by an aerial asset showed similar indications of mass mobilization from Hidden Cloud before it was destroyed.  Grain is being distributed from the granaries, and the Lightning ports are empty.  The Daimyo is not in residence at his palace.¡±

    ¡°Oh, fuck a duck,¡± I swore.  ¡°What are the reports from Frost?¡±

    ¡°They were reporting another surge of violence.  We thought it was the usual, but we¡¯re not hearing from several of our listening posts at the border.  The chakra-laced fog would block most communications, but I think we have to assume the worst.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not just a war-game, but a full on invasion,¡± I noted as we entered our war-room.  It was equipped with numerous screens for different video conferences, priority message boards for orders from command, tickers and chatrooms showing real-time intelligence reports and analysis, maps showing allied and assumed enemy locations, and various images from active flight cameras.  Far too many of the last showed fog.

    ¡°It looks like,¡± she agreed.

    ¡°Are any of our assets overhead?¡± I asked.  Over the years my fiefdom¡¯s contribution to aerial superiority had grown, as was perhaps only natural considering I invented the subject, and Hikaru jii-san was among its top pioneers.  Nearly all of my fiefdom¡¯s taxes were paid off by our contributions, both research as well as pilots and aircraft, to Uzushio¡¯s air power.

    ¡°One of our Ospreys based out of Hidden Leaf should be overhead one of their assumed gathering points within the hour.¡±

    ¡°The new variant?¡±

    She smiled.  ¡°Yes.¡±

    That was great.  The new variant was a surveillance optimized Osprey which jii-san and I had been working on.  It was specifically designed to counteract anti-surveillance attempts.  Particularly clever were the networked system of bio and chakra mimetic sparrows and mice, with larger owls and moles to act as control nodes and long-distance repeaters.  Some of their communication channels should be capable of piercing through the fog, which some sacrificial probes had shown was being kept far enough off of the ground to allow the Lightning forces to know where they were and where they were going.

    The new system was pretty expensive, but it was the height of foolishness to assume that no one would come up with any way of reducing or removing our aerial advantage.  For Uzushio it was less of an issue; a ship, or fleet, could only generate so much fog, and we could just hammer the whole area.  On land, with water chakra trapped between the hills and valleys, the region was simply too large to efficiently bombard.

    I fully familiarized myself with the situation, and then waited anxiously.  There was really nothing I could do or contribute until we got images.  Or didn¡¯t get images, but I was hoping for a successful first combat usage of our designs.

    And then we had image, and even sound.  We were watching a fort and supply depot near the border.  If Lightning was trying anything, this was a natural gathering point from which to re-equip, stocking up on food and water before launching the invasion.

    And Lightning, it seemed, was doing just that.  To make it more serious, judging from the flags, their Daimyo was there, as was their Kage.  Clearly this was a ¡°do or die¡± moment politically, and even accounting for their high dispersion, the size of the army was estimated to be about twenty percent of their total forces.  Considering this was just one of the border forts, and taking into account the number of ¡°mercenaries¡± and ¡°rogue ninja¡± active in Frost before hand, and our best estimates were that sixty percent of Lightning¡¯s standing army had been mobilized for the attack.

    It seemed that Fire and Whirlpool-Water¡¯s joint economic pressures had had a result.  Just not the one we wanted, where Lightning accepted the new reality, reduced its militaristic nature, and joined us in trade and prosperity.  Instead, they were throwing the dice on one last gasp of imperialism.  I doubted it would work, but it could easily spark another continent spanning war.

    Soon enough, a command meeting was called.  Given that the current surveillance was coming from a Seal-Hawk Island Guard flight, and my own position as consul, sealer, advisor and lord, I was invited.  This was an initial Uzushiogakure conference, where we decided how we wanted to react before we then added Konoha and Fire Country to the discussion.

    Kazuo-sama started the discussion off as Whirlpool¡¯s reigning lord.  ¡°It seems that Lightning has finally made their move,¡± he said.  ¡°Let us discuss our response.  Though before that, Uzumaki Hikaru and Daichi, you have my thanks, and that of our nation, for the timely and extensive surveillance you have provided.¡±

    We bowed in response.

    ¡°So,¡± he continued.  ¡°What are your recommendations?¡±

 Chapter 43: Terrible Swift Sword

    Chapter 43: Terrible Swift Sword

    Strategic bombing was an interesting military concept.  Basically, the idea is that you crush the enemy¡¯s ability to fight by bombing the fuck out of them.  Could it break up formations, make peoples¡¯ lives miserable, hinder resupply, and be a general nuisance?  Sure.

    Could it win a war?

    Well, it depended on who you asked, but generally, no.  Despite all the sound and fury, whether it was artillery (World War I, II, Korea) or aircraft (World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan), they didn¡¯t win the fight against a dedicated enemy.  They were force multipliers, yes.  But strategic bombing effectiveness was historically overstated by bomber commands; post-analysis often showed only one-third (or less) of the expected performance.

    Take Korea: even with all the bombing the US did in Korea (and we did a lot), it wasn¡¯t enough.  Nor was the destruction in World War II Japan enough to take them out of the fight (at least without nuclear weapons).  US analysis post World War II concluded that strategic bombing in Europe was a failure.  And that was with over ten thousand bombers and about two and a half million servicemembers involved from the US alone, with similar numbers of British bombers taking part as well.

    The most important contribution from Allied bombing raids were the million men taken from the front to operate AA defenses, and the destruction of German planes which helped facilitate the Normandy landings.  Not the damage the planes (or bombs) themselves did.  Even attacking petroleum refineries, which are basically giant bombs that the workers have to try very hard <u>not</u> to explode was significantly less effective than expected when the missions were OK¡¯d, or when analyzing post-bombing images.

    In Japan, the US burned 58 of 62 cities with populations above 100,000.  Forty percent of urban land area was razed, and about a third of the population left homeless.  And yet it was still considered necessary to use nuclear weapons, rather than actually face the survivors of these bombing attacks on the ground.

    So why wasn¡¯t strategic bombing successful?

    Well, it turns out that bombs aren¡¯t that effective.  Even a five hundred pound bomb (which makes a big bang) doesn¡¯t do too well against hardened structures or with near misses.  Even bombs which are in the ton range do less damage than you¡¯d expect.  Especially after ground targets spread out, limiting the damage you can do with any single hit, troops travel at night, tanks camouflage themselves, etc.

    Accuracy when attacking is hard, especially with imperfect weather, night conditions, warping of aiming gear due to temperature shifts, etc., etc.  And our birds were, if better in some ways, not that different from those active in the Second World War.  Precision munitions were much better performance wise, and we did have those, but they were expensive.  Both for 21<sup>st</sup> century Earth militaries, and for Uzushiogakure.  And strategic bombing was all about mass damage, not precise, tactically informed strikes to support the (much cheaper) infantry.

    On the strategic bombing morale effect, it turned out that humanity has evolved the capacity to lose horrendous amounts of people and infrastructure to natural disasters.  Whether plague or weather, we¡¯ve come through a lot over the years, and it¡¯s almost a certainty that all our ancestors went through some period where fully half of their friends and family died around them, or their city was destroyed by flood, fire, or earthquake.

    They survived it, and so can we.  Psychologically, we treat bombing similarly.  Where a unit in contact with the enemy will often break at twenty or thirty percent casualties, a unit being bombed often won¡¯t. And breaking doesn¡¯t really have any advantage over dispersing anyways.

    But despite strategic bombing¡¯s limitations, people love it anyways.  They love the idea that they can win in such a lofty fashion, destroying the enemy without even really engaging with him, just hitting him really, really hard.  There¡¯s something viscerally satisfying about it.

    That said, even MacArthur, one of the US¡¯s top generals and commander for much of the Korean war, wasn¡¯t a fan of conventional strategic bombing.  This is the man who was so in favor of establishing a nuclear wasteland across the North Korean peninsula to block Chinese reinforcements that he was refused control over nuclear missiles despite being one of only five men to ever reach the rank of General of the Army in the US¡¯s history.  The man who would later be cashiered by the president for being too bellicose.

    At the end of the day, strategic bombing helps.  It negatively impacts an enemy¡¯s ability to make war.  But it doesn¡¯t win wars by itself.  Not unless you¡¯re willing to up the ante to something truly 100% lethal, like a nuclear bomb, and threaten the enemy with total and unstoppable annihilation.  That brings things from ¡°the tribe survives¡± to ¡°this is utterly lethal¡± in peoples¡¯ underdeveloped subconscious, and is a sufficient shock to end the fighting.  At least for a while; the US and USSR showed that even mutual annihilation wasn¡¯t sufficient threat to prevent decades-long conflict, merely enough to limit it to proxies.

    Now, if all this applied to relatively squishy non-chakra active infantry, the crucial question became what did I think it was going to do to supersoldiers with illusion decoys, active shields, instant foxholes, and on-demand cover?

    In short, I wasn¡¯t optimistic.  Sadly, I was in a distinct minority with that opinion.

    As Uzushio, we had only really used our aerial assets in one war.  During my childhood, in my first year in Konohagakure, a massive coalition had launched the single largest maritime invasion in the Elemental Nations¡¯ history.  And our birds, backed up by naval artillery, had shredded them.  Subsequently, we used tactical air support to destroy strong-points and aid conventional forces.

    Did that make a huge impact?  Hell yes.

    But it also gave us an unrealistic understanding of how effective air support was.  Against wooden sailing ships, which were minimally mobile, highly dense concentrations of targets, air support was utterly dominant.  Even with technology advancements, that equation didn¡¯t change too much; in modern Earth, entire fleets were built around aircraft carriers, and aircraft carriers were one of the biggest metrics of naval power in the 21<sup>st</sup> century (much in the same way dreadnoughts were in the 20<sup>th</sup>).

    We were facing an invasion of hundreds of thousands of infantry, tens of thousands of them chakra active samurai and ninja.  The biggest problem with chakra active units was their tendency to use storage scrolls.  That meant no fat, slow, road-bound targets to hit and ruin the logistics needed to keep a unit in the field (one of the top applications of widespread strategic bombing), and no significant reduction in mobility by our taking out roads or bridges.  To make it worse, they had planned and prepared to counter their understanding of our known capabilities.  The situation was more like Korea or Vietnam than some naval battle in the Pacific.

    Now, I had done some things to improve that.  I¡¯d forseen much of this issue, and designed our aerial assets to operate more like helicopter gunships than bombers.  Again though, that role depended on good sight lines, and preferably concentrated enemy forces.  In many ways, given the constant cloud and fog cover, we might even perform worse than strategic bombing, and I fully expected Lightning¡¯s forces to go for economic destruction and widespread guerilla operations rather than a straight-up fight.

    After all, if I were in charge of Lightning, and looking down the barrel of gradually worsening economic weakness and political irrelevancy, I would do my best to wreck everyone¡¯s economies, and then try and recover somewhat better after negotiating some treaty to end a mutually destructive war.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Now, if only I could get that through these idiots skulls!

    ¡°Commander, I designed these weapons.  We tested it, and simulated it, and under realistic conditions, we won¡¯t take out a tenth of their chakra forces!¡±

    Saito Uzumaki, commander of the newly established Independent Air Force, glared at me with enough hatred you¡¯d think I¡¯d murdered his child.

    ¡°Kazuo-sama, respectfully, I appreciate what the consul to Konohagakure has accomplished,¡± he started, referring to me in the way least associated with my military talents, ¡°but he just doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about.  Our war-games clearly show an expected destruction or routing of eighty to ninety percent of enemy forces; even in the worst case, we will cause sixty percent casualties.  Do not hold us back out of fear!¡±

    ¡°Fear?¡± I scoffed.  ¡°How about wisdom?  We will run through months of Uzushiogakure¡¯s chakra production from ammunition expenses, and in the end all we¡¯ll do is embolden the enemy by demonstrating our restrictions!  With the next generation of surveillance, and the fire-control networks, it might be different.  But as it is, this is just a waste of resources!¡±

    Due to conversational mores about topic relevancy, I hadn¡¯t even been able to present my plan yet.  Sometimes traditional, formal, feudal manners were a pain in the ass like that.  I¡¯d merely stopped Kazuo-sama from ordering a poorly considered strike due to one man¡¯s enthusiasm.  It didn¡¯t help that Saito was close friends with the head of our army, and they shared opinions on military strategy.

    ¡°Gentlemen, this is a war-conference.  Let us have some civility,¡± Kazuo-sama interjected.  ¡°Fuutaka-san,¡± he called me, emphasizing my role in the creation of our aerial program, ¡°I understand why you think a mass aerial strike would be ineffective.  What would you recommend?¡±

    I grinned, though I wasn¡¯t happy.  Finally, I¡¯d be able to present my idea.

    ¡°We are presented with an opportunity.  Lightning believes they understand the limits of our power.  And the rest of the world is watching to see if they are right.  But rather than answer the challenge with weapons we¡¯ve already shown, why not use something new?  Something that will leave the rest of the world wandering ¡®what else do they have in store?¡¯  I have developed a weapon capable of destruction on a massive scale.  Originally, I had intended to use it to destroy Kirigakure, but it wasn¡¯t ready in time.  I see no reason why Kumogakure might not serve as a demonstration instead.¡±

    It was a pity, but it was necessary.  The death of a few armies was inevitable at this point; limiting the war would limit the destruction.  Destroying Kumogakure was no great evil; they were unenlightened, vicious, murderous brutes with a penchant for capturing and rape-baby-farming teens with useful blood-limits, and the city itself was a legitimate military target.

    On the other hand, fully establishing the Pax Uzumaki could lead the world, or at least our part of it, into a new golden age.  In short, the action I was proposing was at least moral in a utilitarian sense.

    Further, I was utterly unwilling for this turn into our Vietnam, and it certainly had that possibility without my action.  Or worse.  Our rule over Water was largely based on improved conditions; high casualties among Uzushiogakure forces, and high demands over our new subjects could result in widespread rebellion and unrest.  Something Lightning was likely banking on, and an investment our treaties with Fire Country required.  I wouldn¡¯t risk my parents, our cousins, friends, even simple fellow citizens on a conventional war going well.  Lightning, after all, had good planners too, and they thought it worth invading.

    No, for my family to thrive, Lightning had to fall.  Fast, hard, and completely.  It was just a bonus that the example would dissuade anyone else from trying the same in the future.

    Plus, I¡¯d been stockpiling my updated orbital bombardment seals for years.  I kind of wanted to see if it would work as well as I expected.

    Kazuo-sama raised an eyebrow.  ¡°How much territory would you destroy?¡±

    I took control of the strategic map, and began placing circles.  They covered the three largest forts near the border and five secondary ones, the Daimyo¡¯s Court in the capital, and Kumogakure.

    ¡°These territories,¡± I replied.  I had more than enough ammunition, after all.  I¡¯d long since brought Sachiko and Yasu in on the secret, and regularly used some of my spare chakra when we were travelling to add to my arsenal.

    ¡°How sure are you in your success?¡± Kazuo-sama asked.

    I thought for a moment.  I had successfully tested one of my kinetic bombardment rods with updated radar spoofing and laser-resistant shields against the ocean, but it was possible the orbital fortress (assuming that was what intervened when I first tried this against Kirigakure) didn¡¯t consider that a threat worth responding to.

    ¡°Ninety percent that the technique works, eighty percent that it does as much damage as I¡¯m predicting,¡± I replied.

    ¡°And how long will this take?¡±

    I thought about it.  I pretty much just had to enter in the targeting coordinates, send the weapons out on a remote controlled boat in case the fortress decided to return fire, and then send them off.

    ¡°An hour,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Kazuo-sama allowed.  ¡°We will see how effective this new seal is, and then should it prove necessary Commander Saito Uzumaki will lead our Air Force out.  Let us reconvene in an hour.¡±

    I bowed.  ¡°Thank you, Kazuo-sama.¡±

    Then as the meeting wrapped up, I turned and left.

    Back on Earth, the US Strategic Air Command, the organization that held command over both nuclear bombers and ICBMs, had a motto: ¡°Peace is our profession.¡±

    But originally, it was something different: ¡°War is our profession.  Peace is our product.¡±

    It was time to make peace.

    ==================================

    The impact was impressive, but less so than many seal-based fireworks.  Oh, the rods were loaded up with chakra, and exploded nicely, but there wasn¡¯t the panache, the beautifully organized destruction I¡¯d grown used to seeing.

    Instead, it was just a series of really big bangs, and huge clouds of dust and smoke.  Between the seals they were loaded with and the shear kinetic energy, each rod hit with energy equivalent to about a twenty ton TNT explosion</a>, with most of the energy focused to go horizontally rather than vertically.

    Their armies largely destroyed, the strongest concentration of their ninja scoured from the earth, and their bureaucracy crippled, Lightning faced a grim choice.  They could continue to fight, in which case we threatened unrestricted bombardment similar to what had effectively already defeated them.  Or they could surrender unconditionally.

    They chose surrender.

    But it did put us in a bit of an awkward situation.  Whirlpool was already fairly extended just dealing with Water Country.  Further, humanity needs foes to conquer, places to adventure.  And in a generation¡¯s time, if Lightning did get parceled between Fire and Whirlpool, and our alliance stayed strong, we¡¯d be collectively so strong that the rest of the Elemental Countries couldn¡¯t withstand us.  Long term, that meant stagnation, civil strife and internal conflict.

    So rather than let Fire take over, we created the Grand Pact.  An agreement between Whirlpool-Water, Fire, and all their respective allies and protectorates.  This agreement balkanized Lightning over various cultural and geographical boundaries, creating twenty six new states.  They were forbidden from establishing any mercenary armies, which would prevent their having a strong ninja system (unless fully funded and supported by taxes, but that was unlikely).  They were required to have free trade, and allow free passage of Pact traders (though they could charge the same tolls they charged their own citizens).  And the borders were static; furthermore, no individual could rule land within more than one of the new countries.

    The former Land of Lightning would have a ninja system, jointly administered and staffed by the Grand Pact.  This would put our ninja in contact with each other, hopefully building cross-border friendships and making war less likely in the future.  It was all very ¡°Allies occupy Western Germany.¡±  But it would also allow for adventurism within well defined limits.  The national equivalent of individuals taking up paint-ball, or perhaps dueling, rather than full on war.

    Lightning¡¯s Bijuu were processed by Uzushiogakure, getting the same seals that protected the three-tails from outside interference before being turned loose under parole not to destroy human areas without first consulting Grand Pact and Uzushio forces.  Our sealing department estimated that the damage to the dimensional fabric from chakra imbalance had at the least stabilized, and would likely begin to improve as more Bijuu were protected and freed.

    Finally, the Grand Pact declared a policy that the act of any nation succeeding or attempting to develop a superweapon without Pact permission to be causus belli, and in and of itself justifying preventative strikes by Pact superweapons.  That was something I insisted on.  There would be no analogue to the USSR¡¯s development of the atom bomb and ensuing decades long threat to existence.

    In return, the Pact agreed not to deploy superweapons without agreement from both Whirlpool-Water and Fire Countries, though I retained the ability to deploy the superweapons which I had already produced.  This part of the agreement, something that was meant to be secret, leaked, earning me a nice, fat ¡°flee on sight¡± in the Bingo books.  No one was going to risk my annoyance if I survived a fight with their forces, and no one was going to bet that strongly against my survival given that it was widely known I¡¯d beaten Hatake Sakumo in a sword-fight for my jonin promotion.

    Honestly, I¡¯d had Thor II seals working for years.  I wasn¡¯t some bloody handed war-monger, and I did have self control.  It was just that I also had a very healthy desire for peace.

    But if it kept the enemies at bay, I wouldn¡¯t complain.

    For all the death and suffering, I was sure it would lead to a brighter future.

    And if nothing else, at least it got me off of shipping contracts duty.

 Chapter 44: Rainy Days

    Chapter 44: Rainy Days

    I regretted ever using my weapon. Oh sure, it go me off of contracts.

    But, and I was fairly sure this was a punishment from Konoha for not informing them of my abilities, it got me on to the border adjustment teams.

    If I thought endless, repetitive discussions about shipping were bad, I quickly learned that it could get so much worse. Each of those twenty six new mini-nations needed to have their borders fixed. And while we could have used old provincial boundaries (and did), Lightning had been divided into far fewer provinces, yet far more counties. And all their nobles thought this was an excellent opportunity to bring up how so-and-so¡¯s grandfather had stolen their land, or this marriage agreement needed to be enforced, bringing these fields over into their lands in a now different nation. And on, and on, and on.

    To make it worse, both the Fire and Whirlpool courts had assigned their own bureaucrats and minor nobles to the problem, and so every discussion had one from each nation (and often, for the more important discussions especially, even more bureaucrats, up to ones from every member of our alliance). So not only did I have to mediate the arguments from the locals, their lords, and the new governors (all of whom may have different views on whose land they belonged in), but after that I had to get the most quarrelsome group of functionaries it was ever my displeasure to meet to agree to some solution.

    Sounds torturous?

    But that wasn¡¯t all! No, to make it extra annoying, there were the bribes. So many fucking bribes. And for such petty things, in such petty amounts. And not just the people involved, no. Third party villages, towns, nobles, and governors were all happy to stick their oar in too, sabotaging the talks or driving them to some result that would in turn help them.

    I wanted back on shipping contracts!

    It got to the point where I decided to pull rank. I¡¯d been promoted to Viscount, or Lord of the Third Rank, and given a parcel of territory near to Seal-Hawk Island in return for my actions, and as payment for handing my seal design over to the Uzumaki sealing department. That meant I was one of the more senior individuals participating at the level of talks that I mediated. Which in turn made me capable of pissing everyone off by starting the day at six in the morning, and ending at nine at night; there were no food or water breaks.

    The others functionaries started becoming much less obstreperous after a week of this torture. Oh, we still had to deal with all the different locals¡¯ positions and arguments, but no amount of bribe money was worth a burst bladder to already financially comfortable functionaries, and they were far too tired for courtesans to whisper in their ears. After week, the minor flunkies had learned the cost of being obstructionist, and I changed my rules so that we could leave as soon as the day¡¯s business was done. Honestly, at that point the functionaries were too willing to come to an agreement, but as long as I did my duty, and fairly evaluated the situation (which I did no matter how much the process was driving me insane), the result was no worse than what others were managing, and better than most.

    After all, I wanted balkanization, trade conflict, multi-national economic opportunities, and a good bit of ninja operations mixed with the occasional military ¡°police¡± action. But I certainly did not want never-ending internal hatred and slaughter. Even if it was miserable, I was willing to do the work for my part of that outcome.

    It was still months of tedium though, and I was starting to think we¡¯d made a mistake becoming jonin. As chunin, we could do the whole roving troubleshooter thing, which was honestly a fair bit more exciting. I had learned that while I liked the concept of the Arbitrators, the reality meant lots and lots of listening to stupid people give stupid arguments over stupid things, taking fools seriously, doing the same damned thing again and again and again, all while dressed in my least comfortable clothing and exhibiting perfect manners.

    So the negotiations dragged on, conducted in the Land of Hotsprings (our nearest Pact nation to Lightning). At least after I tamed my particular group of fellow negotiators we were making progress, and I had time to train in the afternoons. Not that I could do anything particularly interesting. After my contribution to causing Lightning¡¯s fall, everyone was watching me. I don¡¯t think it would be exaggerating to say that a full tenth of all the various spies in Hotspring¡¯s capital during the negotiations that were literally reshaping the political situation in the Elemental Nations were there not for the negotiations, but for me.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Which, flattering, granted, but holy fuck was it annoying to have so many eyes on me everywhere. I felt like I was in that movie, the Truman Show, where that guy is living inside a dome as the subject of a reality show without actually knowing. Except I knew.

    I tried to have a bit of fun with it. For example, I really enjoyed varying my route to the building where we held negotiations every few days. It was hilarious how I¡¯d change route, and then the next day the very same roadside vendors and layabouts who¡¯d been along my previous route just magically decided to switch where they sold stuff (or stood about, depending on their cover).

    The worst part was the food. We had to bring all of our rations in seals from Uzushiogakure for fear of poisoning. And that meant a lot of pretty shitty MRE-style rations. At least when I was doing shipping contracts we got some nice seafood.

    Then, about three months into the negotiations, four since I¡¯d broken Lightning, I was saved.

    ¡°Uzumaki-san, it¡¯s nice to see you,¡± said Yamanaka Ito, the head of the Konoha Diplomatic Division and my boss¡¯s boss, greeting me politely as I entered his office. He¡¯d relocated to help manage the balkanization.

    I bowed lightly. ¡°Likewise, Yamanaka-san.¡± We saw each other at least weekly for the end-of-week summaries and analysis sessions. That had been two days ago. But Yamanaka Ito was a bit of a stickler for the proprieties. By which what I really meant to say was he was totally OCD. Even if I¡¯d seen him that morning, I¡¯d get some similarly inane but polite greeting.

    ¡°There is a new mission for you. From the Daimyo himself,¡± he informed me.

    My eyes widened imperceptibly. The timing was a bit odd; given how long it had been since I¡¯d acted to resolve the impending invasion, I doubted it was anything to do with that, or just personal interest. And it could only be diplomatic, given my posting.

    ¡°How may I serve his excellency?¡± I inquired.

    ¡°The Hanzo situation remains unresolved, and Fire¡¯s most recent envoy has been sent home. Nara Mei will brief you fully on the situation. But to summarize, you are charged with negotiating with Hanzo, Regent of Rain. He must step down from ruling the country, or at the very least continue as regent only after he swears fealty to Hideki Susumu, and swears to end the regency by Susumu¡¯s eighteenth year, whether Susumu survives or not. He must also agree to open Rain for trade, and either destroy the bandits and missing-nin hiding within that country, or allow Pact forces entry to do so. This is his final chance; should you be refused, it is likely that Rain will be invaded or destroyed.¡±

    Wow. I guessed the Fire Daimyo had had enough of Hanzo. I could see why they were sending me. Technically, I was around the right rank of noble, and seniority (or lack thereof) to negotiate with Hanzo without it looking like we were giving him so much diplomatic face (an Eastern concept including dignity, prestige, honor, and public standing) that we effectively recognized his de facto rule over Rain. I was also strong enough that he¡¯d think twice before kicking me out, or trying anything really.

    Likely most importantly, I was a very obvious reminder of what might happen if he refused our offers.

    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t that unreasonable. What Hanzo had done, taking control over the country, was not an accepted outcome politically. Ninja didn¡¯t rule. Period. The Daimyos were very firm about that, especially after the Hidden Village system came to be. Arguably, the head of any of the villages was the single strongest vassal, if not in direct military power, than certainly in subtle military power. All the rulers had a strong vested interest in preventing their Kages from getting ideas above their station, as did the majority of the samurai chakra-active noble houses.

    ¡°Thank you for this opportunity, Yamanaka-san,¡± I said. I wasn¡¯t smiling, because that wouldn¡¯t be proper, by my aura was positively radiating my happiness. Travel, negotiating with Hanzo, more travel¡­ I was willing to bet I could drag it out to two months, by which point the Lightning balkanization negotions were scheduled to be finished.

    I was free!

    He looked like he was about to reply and ask what I meant (he had this particular way of raising his eyebrow just before doing so), so I shot him a look. ¡°You know what I mean.¡±

    ¡°Yes, these negotiations have been trying,¡± he commented. ¡°But that was all I had to say. Nara-san is expecting you at two in the afternoon.¡±

    I bowed, and left to go give Sachiko and Yasu the good news.

    The next day, we departed, headed for the Fire Capital to pick up our official escort. The Daimyo was sending a century of his royal guard as my escort, another sign of how he was taking the situation seriously and willing to throw down if needed.

    Leaving at the head of an excellently turned out detachment of the royal guard, off to hopefully avert a major war, friends at my side, I smiled.

    This, I thought, was <u>exactly</u> what I signed up for.

    I was living the dream.

    ==================================

    Why does <u>everything</u> in the ninja world end up in fire and slaughter!?

    ==================================

 Chapter 45: Dead Man Walking

    Chapter 45: Dead Man Walking

    About five thousand strong, the Royal Guard were Fire Country¡¯s First Legion, directly under the Daimyo¡¯s authority.  Their job was kicking ass, as they were good at their job. Really, really good.

    Every soldier was at least a genin-level chakra adept.  The sergeants, each in charge of seven other soldiers, were chunin level.  Under officers, including the century executive officer, guard commander, and standard bearer were all tokujo tier combatants.  And a centurion typically matched up against a Konoha jonin in even a moderately unfair fight.

    In short, our century of escorts included at a minimum a jonin, three tokujo, ten chunin, and sixty six genin level fighters.  It was typical that there were more people qualified to serve as sergeants or officers than there were such slots available, so it wasn¡¯t unusual to have chunin level privates or corporals, tokujo level sergeants, and jonin level under officers.  In short, they had more chakra users than the typical regular army cohort, even including ninja auxiliaries.

    More than just that though, everyone in the Royal Guard were veterans who had served in and seen combat with some other formation first.  And unlike Konoha ninja, they focused more on combat and anti-genjutsu skills than ones for sneaking, infiltration, and escape.  This focus extended to their gear; they wore proper armor, and carried seal-enhanced swords and chakra-reactive wood bows.  Unlike ninja, or regular forces, they rarely did secondary tasks like building roads, escorting merchants and tax collectors, or anything else.  They just trained all day, every day, or were out honing their combat edge by slaughtering the Daimyo¡¯s foes.  I suspected that if I were matching them up against typical Konoha forces, they could easily take on three or four times their number on the battlefield.

    Politically, the Royal Guard were a counterweight to Konoha and the Great Noble Houses, a mass of loyal and combat-ready chakra-active warriors ready to serve the Daimyo¡¯s interests and crush anything that drew his ire.  And they managed that despite being only a quarter the size of Konoha¡¯s force.

    They weren¡¯t the best formation available to Fire Country.  The Lifeguard, for example, the Royal Guard¡¯s First Cohort, responsible for directly protecting the Daimyo¡¯s life, were even better.  Konoha¡¯s ANBU were better man-for-man too, as were certain elite heavy-combat units.  But short of an army, or some human monster at Hanzo or Sarutobi¡¯s level, a century of the Guard were about as good as it got. Within Fire Country, nothing should have been able to threaten us.

    It was a pity our attacker never got that memo.

    We only got the briefest moment of warning as a massive chakra source revealed itself some two hundred meters to our front.  The centurion barely had time to raise his voice before a massive wave of fire chakra descended on our position.  Our seal-armors flickered us back forty meters in an emergency evasion, seals shooting out of storage containers and activating a number of barriers to protect us.

    As for the Royal Guard, they just fucking evaporated like a candle thrown into a volcano.

    The chakra source was large, and powerful.  But we¡¯d met stronger.  No, what was truly terrifying was how controlled it was, and how hot the flames.  Three layers of our barriers had been shattered by the flames, a fourth just by the radiated heat-flash.

    I had a pretty good idea who was responsible.  I¡¯d hoped he was just a figment of Kishimoto¡¯s imagination, that Naruto hadn¡¯t been that faithful to the true events of the Elemental Nations as they applied to me.

    Obviously, those hopes had been in vain.

    The flames parted, like some twisted, heretical mirror of the Red Sea parting for Moses, and through them a cloaked and masked man stepped forwards slowly.

    ¡°Madara,¡± I whispered in horrified realization.  I gulped with a suddenly dry mouth.  Sachiko and Yasu weren¡¯t anywhere close to being ready for this fight.  ¡°Retreat, Kage contingency,¡± I ordered loudly.  Their heads twisted rapidly, eyes wide as they stared.  Sachiko especially looked on me like a god.  And look at my history; I had broken nations.  We had trained for this, but they had never anticipated having to carry it out.

    ¡°Now!¡± I shouted.  In the back of my mind I could feel Kurama waking, his rising rage at the man who had thought to enslave a biju.

    Then I stepped forwards as my team fled, burning enough chakra to power a town to get far away, sporting shields capable of tanking all but the mightiest of attacks.

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d become important enough for you to leave your shadows, Uchiha Madara,¡± I called out loudly, projecting my voice over the crackling and popping of the flames boiling pockets of moisture in the ground.

    ¡°Oh?¡± the figure sounded out, the slightest of hitches to his step.  ¡°What makes you think I am he?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t play games,¡± I snarled.  ¡°Is Zetsu here with you as well?¡± I asked, taking a risk.

    At that name the figure did pause.  ¡°You are entirely too well informed.¡±

    I smiled at that, my muscles involuntarily drawing my mouth wider and wider.  And then, I just had to laugh.  ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± I sounded somewhat hysterical.  ¡°Yes,¡± I said quieter.  ¡°Yes, I am too well informed.  Shall I tell you more, Madara?  Shall I tell you what I know?¡±

    What ninja could resist that?  Especially since his plan called for stealth, for being the chessmaster.  If, somehow, his plans were known, he had to find out how badly he was compromised.  And how it came to be.  He had been advancing, and was now merely thirty meters away.  Practically knife-fighting range for a ninja.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he instructed.

    I sighed heavily, still smiling.  ¡°It¡¯s something of a relief, you know.¡±  My tone was conversational, like we were colleagues at a dinner, rather than intending to kill each other.  ¡°Years of preparation, of planning for the worst, for this moment.  And now it has finally come.¡±

    I could sense well controlled irritation in his aura.  ¡°I can empathize with that feeling,¡± he allowed.

    ¡°But you¡¯d like me to get to the point, yes?¡± I asked rhetorically.

    He still replied.  ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I said.  ¡°Of course.  Just, would you mind removing your mask?  I already know who you are, and it¡¯s a bit ridiculous.¡±

    He thought about it for a moment.  ¡°Very well.  It¡¯s not like it will make a difference.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    And then he took his mask off, showing himself to me.  He was old, well into his eighties.  Though he was very fit, a lifetime of combat injuries had had its effect and his strength, both physical and chakra, was in decline.  There had been no Orochimaru to perfect the resurrection jutsu, no Kabuto to improve the result, no Zetsu to possess Obito and use the Rinnegan to truly resurrect the ancient ninja.

    Though his eyes showed the Rinnegan, that was actually preferable to his mangekyo-sharingan.  There was a reason he implanted them in an Uzumaki; those eyes were powerful, but they consumed a commensurately massive amount of chakra.  I might stand a chance.

    But every moment I bought my teammates was a good one.  And if I could turn Madara against Zetsu¡­ that would be a great thing.  My best case scenario was that he and I killed Zetsu, then I killed him.  Both were lunatics of the highest order and utterly dedicated to establishing worlds inimical to mine and my loved ones¡¯ interests.  So a second-best outcome was buying enough time so that if I died in combat my Thor seals would wipe out the entire area, Madara included.

    ¡°So, where should I start¡­¡± I thought aloud.  ¡°I suppose at the beginning.  It¡¯s a long tale; I can get out a table, tea and snacks if you¡¯d like.¡±

    He just stared at me.

    ¡°No?  I was just trying to be polite, after all keeping a senior standing around ¨C¡°  I had to hastily dodge a kunai at that.  He hadn¡¯t really been trying to hit me, just expressing his impatience.

    ¡°Talk,¡± he growled.

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± I said, hands raised to my chest and palms out as if in surrender.  ¡°Have it your way.  Hey, Black Zetsu!  If you¡¯re around, you may as well come out!¡±

    I had no doubt he was around, but didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d made contact with Madara yet.  If memory served, he hadn¡¯t, but I wasn¡¯t willing to bet either way.

    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Madara asked.

    I grinned sharply.  ¡°Ah, so that manipulator hasn¡¯t shown himself yet then.  I¡¯ll get to him in time then.  So our story begins many centuries ago with Kaguya Otsu-something.¡± At his glare, I raised my hands again.  ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve forgotten some of the details.  Otsuki?  Otsusuki?  Something like that; it¡¯s not really important.  Anyways, this was the dawn of the Age of Chakra.  Before that, chakra, if it existed, was only in small amounts.  Then something happened, and wild chakra was present.  Bloodlines mostly come from mutations that originated in this era.  The civilization from before collapsed.¡±

    I could tell he was getting more irritated, so I hurried it up.

    ¡°And in one place, a tree adapted.  It could filter this wild chakra, turning it into nature chakra.  The people nearby worshipped it as a god; whether it was in truth divine, I cannot say.  Before chakra was introduced, there were people who lived beyond the atmosphere, orbiting the planet.  But either they depended on materials from the ground to maintain themselves, or some were kicked out after a conflict, or just wanted to explore and contact the ground, or were coming to harvest resources and then return.  Whatever the case, an expedition of these people came to our planet, and established themselves near the tree, experimenting on it.

    ¡°Kaguya consumed the fruit of the tree, or its chakra was channeled into her.  And she became mighty.  Ruling as a god-empress, she feared that her fellow clan-members would one day come and attempt to supplant her.  So she formed an army of White Zetsu out of humans who had been subsumed into the Infinite Tsukuyomi, leaving only a small number of mankind alive to breed and worship her.  As a note, your Zetsu are not due to some Yin-Yang effect, but her army.¡±

    ¡°And I am supposed to believe this, why?¡± Madara asked.

    I grinned.  ¡°I¡¯ll get to that later.  Just wait.  So, Kaguya decides to give birth, and has twins.  Hagoromo, later known as the Sage of Six Paths, and the other one whose name I¡¯ve forgotten.¡±

    He arched his brow in disapproval.

    ¡°Look, it didn¡¯t seem that important when I learned this, alright?¡± I defended.  ¡°Now, either due to a chakra-illness, or paranoia, or further consumption of the tree¡¯s chakra, or even a desire to see the world return to how it had been before ¨C remember, in those days chakra was more curse than blessing, but Kaguya changed.  She decided that she wanted to have all the chakra, and transformed into the Ten Tails.

    ¡°Her sons battled her, sealing her chakra into the Sage, and the corpse, which they sent into orbit, became the moon.  Or was placed onto the moon and guarded by those who still survived there; the difference between truth and legend is difficult to discern, and chakra does not fare well outside our atmosphere so either way the husk would be isolated.  But just before she disappeared, she made a manifestation of her will, Black Zetsu.

    ¡°Since then, Black Zetsu has manipulated things behind the scenes.  He has but one goal; the eventual return, restoration, and ultimate victory of his creator, Kaguya.  To that purpose he fed the ego of Indra, eldest son of the Sage and ultimate ancestor of the Uchiha clan, turning him against Asura, younger son of the Sage and ultimate ancestor of the Senju.  Since then Zetsu has worked for a millenium to weaken and divide chakra users in general, while also trying to recreate the Rinnegan and Ten-Tails.  His goal was and is to reform the nine biju into the Ten-Tails, via some demon path technique and statue if I recall correctly, before using it and the Rinnegan to summon Kaguya.  Or something like that.¡±

    ¡°You keep mentioning how unsure you are.  Explain,¡± Madara ordered.  ¡°And tell me why I should believe you.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess I might as well mention how I know all of this.  You might call me a god, though I wouldn¡¯t use that term.  Rather, I managed to achieve the utmost immortality of the soul, allowing me to reincarnate through worlds and between dimensions.  It¡¯s not uncommon for storytellers to tap into deeper truths, and this world, your story, are well known in my past life.¡±

    He looked at me like I was insane.

    I just laughed.  ¡°What, you don¡¯t believe me?  You, planning all your insanity, find that hard to believe?  How else do you think I managed to create cannon-seals, came up with the idea of aircraft, built the weapons that broke Lightning?  Madara, I was born less than twenty years ago.  And yet two of the Five Great Elemental Countries fell by my mind and hand.  The very fact that you are here is testament to my achievement.

    ¡°I changed history.  Uzushio did not fall.  There was no Nagato, a refugee or descendent of a refugee Uzumaki to hold onto your Rinnegan, to serve as your stalking horse.  No Uchiha boy isolated by war, left behind for dead by his comrades for you to twist and manipulate into destroying his clan, your clan, so that there would be none with the Mangekyo to stand against you.  And most important, the Biju are protected from you, and from any sharingan.

    ¡°Our world will not fall to you, Madara.  And Zetsu, you piece-of-shit discard off that crazy bitch, you won¡¯t win either.  Kaguya¡¯s gone.  And I¡¯ve seen to it that she¡¯ll never return!¡± I screamed that last part out, smiling in victory.

    I could sense Zetsu, his rage breaking the camouflage of his natural chakra.  See, I¡¯d been talking to Madara, but my real audience had been our voyeur.  I didn¡¯t need Madara to believe me.  I just had to bust out enough of Zetsu¡¯s secrets to make him think that Madara would never trust him, never work with him.  Madara, that old monster, had a good enough poker face not to really show what he felt, and played right into my hands.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± I laughed.  I couldn¡¯t help myself.  I¡¯d just successfully bluff-enraged potentially the single greatest threat to my nation; it was, after all, little exaggeration to say that Zetsu was the literal shinobi devil.  ¡°You dumb fuck.  Such a mama¡¯s boy.  You just revealed yourself, Zetsu!  You just proved me right!  And now, Madara knows what you were planning, knows not to trust you!¡± I pointed towards him, and Zetsu leapt out from cover, slightly surprising Madara.

    ¡°There¡¯s your proof,¡± I concluded, exultant in my victory.  ¡°Madara, say hello to your whatever-times great uncle Zetsu.¡±

    Madara sighed, his age showing as he realized how much time and effort he had wasted.  But the man wasn¡¯t one to give up, and a pair of kunai appeared in his hands so quickly it was almost magic.  ¡°It seems that after I kill you both, I¡¯ll have to come up with a new plan.  Unless you¡¯d care to join, o immortal?¡±

    I hadn¡¯t noticed it, but the way he spoke was a bit old fashioned.  Before I could decline with appropriate crudity, Zetsu interrupted.

    The black monster glared at me, its killing intent rolling over us.  A wide maw filled with viciously sharp teeth appeared across its face.  ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you, you damned pest, and then destroy everything you¡¯ve ever loved.¡±

    I smiled widely as chakra chains exploded from my body. ¡°Not if I kill you first, you vile, aborted stain.¡±

    My lover and friend were away.  My enemies were divided and in front of me.  I¡¯d bought enough time for my last-resort to be overhead.

    By my accounting, so far I was winning, with a lot of points too.

    Now I just had to survive throwing down with some true legends, and kill both the historical and modern boogeymen of the Shinobi world.  If I failed, they''d probably do everything in their power to raze Uzushiogakure and wipe out the Uzumaki.

    No pressure.

 Chapter 46: One Minute Till Midnight

    Chapter 46: One Minute ''Till Midnight

    We were quite the trio.  An ancient evil, cast off from what was debatably a goddess, which had arguably become a god in his own immortal right.  A legendary villain, who had killed and clawed his way up, usurping the eyes of god and planned to achieve even more.  And a modern genius who had transcended death, a death he meted out to others all too readily through inventions which had slaughtered armies, destroyed cities, broken nations.

    I had four goals.  First, kill Zetsu.  Second, kill Madara.  Third, failing either goals one or two, survive at least another two minutes and eighteen seconds, while keeping my surviving enemies in the area, for my Thor attack impact.  Four, survive the experience.

    It was fucking tense.  All of us were good enough, unknown enough, that if two ganged up on the other, the other would likely die first.  And we were on hair-triggers, prepped to respond to the potentially supersonic speeds that ninja combat happened at.  In other words, the first one to make a serious move would get pasted, and the tension just kept rising and rising.

    I grinned.  ¡°So, Madara.  I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯m unlikely to join you.  But I¡¯m willing to hear you out after we kill this asshole.  What do you say?¡±

    He grimaced.  ¡°I say you could speak more like the noble you are, Uzumaki-san.  But agreed.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± I hissed, my smile so wide it was practically splitting my face.  Madara was a threat, sure.  He was basically a comic book villain, defeated in the past, faked his death, and then plotted for decades to come back and win.

    But Zetsu was so much worse.  I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to call him the ninja Anti-Christ, but certainly the Anti-John-the-Baptist.  If Madara survived, the world ¨C or at least the part of it I cared about - had a decent chance.  If Zetsu did, much less of one.

    I wasn¡¯t stupid.  I didn¡¯t trust Madara at all.  But it was in both our interests to see Zetsu dead.

    ¡°Hey, Zetsu,¡± I said. ¡°Get fucked.¡±  Then I dumped a full month of Kurama¡¯s unfiltered chakra into the area.

    See, the biggest problem with Zetsu was how well he could run and hide.  He wasn¡¯t human, and didn¡¯t use human chakra.  No, Zetsu was made with nature chakra.  Which meant as long as he kept his emotions in check, he had next to no discernable chakra signature.  Even then, the ¡°next to¡± part of that would have needed a really good Sage capable of noticing the barely-increased nature-chakra concentration that leaked from whatever chakra-containing or spreading techniques that Zetsu could manage.

    But Kurama¡¯s chakra was very fucking far from natural.  The Sage of Six Paths was a genius, and a legitimate claimant to the title ¡°demigod.¡±  But still, when he split the Ten-Tails¡¯ chakra, it wasn¡¯t like dividing a cake into slices.  No, it was more like dividing nice, chemically balanced molecules into a bunch of very reactive atoms, and then adding a nice pile of emotional imbalance on top.

    In short, Biju chakra was corrosive, damaging all the natural (and processed, such as human) chakra in the area as it tried to balance itself out.  And I¡¯d dumped enough that if I didn¡¯t win, and clean up after myself, well¡­ the resulting mess would make Chernobyl look like a beach resort in the Caribbean. Not to mention the kind of monsters this place would spawn¡­

    But it was worth it since Zetsu couldn¡¯t blend in with nature, couldn¡¯t hide his signal, couldn¡¯t run.

    In short, Zetsu was like a blue colored fish in water ¨C very, very difficult to see.  So I died it red, and used a dye that also happened to double as a chemical weapon.

    He hissed in pain, as did Madara.  Even I was having a hard time with it, and I had all the seals necessary to at least survive the environment long term.

    Zetsu leaped at me as Madara¡¯s flames licked at the monster¡¯s heels.  He was fully black, in his natural state rather than joined to one of the White Zetsu clones.  His maw opened wide as I opened fire with my lasers.

    They were about as effective as a candle flame on a normal human.  That was one of the many issues with chakra users.  At some point, they began to take on a sort of ontological weight that could only be damaged with similarly high densities of reality-warping chakra magic (whether delivered by fist, blade, or justsu).  Zetsu was old enough, foreign enough, that despite his relatively low power he was merely lightly burned and blistered rather than torn apart.

    But I hadn¡¯t expected my lasers to be effective, just to draw his attention as I blasted away at his eyes.

    I was lifted off of the ground at that moment, a dozen of my adamantine sealing chains coming out of my body to defend or attack as necessary.  I wasn¡¯t a master of earth jutsu, but Madara likely was due to his cheat of a bloodline.  Only a fool would stay in contact with the ground in such a situation.

    But more than that, I was being tactically sneaky.  The chains I had resting on the ground only looked that way.  In reality, three of them were forked where the chain¡¯s curves rested on the earth, the forks hidden underneath the ground, ready to attack from the sides and rear as Zetsu closed.  And a number of my larger individual chains were actually bundles of very fine thread-chains, ready to spread out and envelop my enemy when he tried to dodge.

    My chains swatted down the kunai that Zetsu threw at me.  It was a bit embarrassing, really; his throwing weapons weren¡¯t enough to really threaten a standard combat-focused jonin, let alone be used in this battle of ancient monsters, old titans, and the newest of giants.

    Then Madara tightened his flames from a wide blast into a thin, narrowed beam.  It was so hot and fast that it shattered the stones on the ground when it missed, the sheer energy forcing the stone to boil and explode rather than melt.  He swept it past Zetsu who panicked, leaping and spinning as he tried to dodge.  But Zetsu failed, his left arm coming off at the elbow, the remainder quickly vaporizing without his chakra to shield it.

    Zetsu opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.  I made my move while he was focused on Madara¡¯s attack.  My chains erupted, coming from all directions, and between his pain and my overwhelming attack, Zetsu failed to dodge a trio of them.  Two were medium sized chains, barbed and vicious, but the third was made up of micro threads.  As I channeled cutting wind into half, and Kurama¡¯s toxic chakra into the other half via seals, I exploded the threads out into a spiral that reduced Zetsu into a sludgy mist.

    Madara and I waited, tense, for a moment before we realized that Zetsu was truly dead.  I wouldn¡¯t totally trust it; after all, look at Madara¡¯s little faked death trick.  But I was fairly certain Zetsu was dead.  I¡¯d baited the fanatic into the confrontation, and Zetsu was never the best fighter.  Cunning, manipulative, intelligent, and evil ¨C yes.  But if he¡¯d been stronger he¡¯d never have needed to be so manipulative.

    Both Madara and I were grinning like wolves that had just caught a rabbit, exulting in victory and sated bloodlust.

    He relaxed, even by just the tiniest of amounts. ¡°See, Daichi?  We make an effective partnership.  Together, we could bring an era of true peace to this world.¡±

    I shook my head.  ¡°Madara, I know what you were planning.  Zetsu¡¯s influence or not, it was insane.  And I bet that in your arrogance you haven¡¯t even given it up.¡±

    His eyes hardened.  ¡°You made me aware of the risks and traps.  Now, I can plan around them.  I can avoid the mistakes of your prophecy, seize the Bijuu, and defeat even your exiled god if needed.¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t even beat Hashirama,¡± I scoffed, carefully noting how his hands twitched at my mockery.  ¡°Someone you knew well, sparred with often, and had years to plan for.  Why would I trust you against someone who has a legitimate claim on the title of deity?¡±

    ¡°So help me!¡± he shouted.  ¡°I refuse to believe that everything I have suffered was for nothing!  I bear the sage¡¯s eyes!  I bear his legacy!  Help me accomplish my destiny!¡±

    I hadn¡¯t really expected to talk Madara down.  But we were standing around in an area with enough of Kurama¡¯s chakra to make Chernobyl look like an idyllic, unpolluted vacation spot in the countryside.  Every moment I could keep him talking was an advantage.  So it was a shame that it looked like our conversation was coming to an end.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°No, Madara.  There was no grand destiny.  Just a conspiracy by the world¡¯s most vile plotter.  Your eyes are a result of recombining the Senju and Uchiha bloodlines, remaking the sage¡¯s.  And again, I suspect that was needed for Zetsu¡¯s plot.  Otherwise, as you well know, you would not have survived.¡±

    And wasn¡¯t that true.  Senju and Uchiha bloodlines caused one of the few inherent chakra-nature pairings that were non-viable.  Any true Senju or Uchiha, in other words those that carried enough of the bloodline to matter, couldn¡¯t have children with their opposites.  Stronger Uchiha and Senju would even violently reject each other¡¯s blood if transfused.

    I was projecting the truth of my words into my aura.  Madara could ignore it, but knew that I at least believed what I was saying.  Chakra was partially based on mentality, belief, assurance.  The more off-balance he was, the better my odds.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say, Madara, that your life was not for nothing.  Rather, it was for evil.  You were a pawn, meant to advance to the end of the board and be replaced with a queen.  Just¡­ allow it to end.  Make peace with yourself.  With your life.  Allow you soul some succor.  Your brother has passed on.  So have your friends.  But this world, this life, is not the end.  Be at peace.  And give up this insane quest.¡±

    He glared at me.  ¡°No.  I am still the strongest.  I am still the sage¡¯s heir.  And I will take what is rightfully mine.  Join me, or I will ensure you cannot stand against me.¡±

    Great.  He¡¯d gone full on Kaguya syndrome.

    But still, I had to snort at the idea he was the strongest.  ¡°You were never the strongest, Madara. Hashirama was probably the most powerful.  Tobirama the most creative.  Zetsu the most cunning.  Hell, despite your eyes, your greatest claim is probably being the most blind.  But Madara?  You can get fucked now too.¡±

    And then everything exploded.

    See, while I hadn¡¯t managed to get Hiraishin working quite yet (it still had this nasty habit of killing living creatures), I did manage a team shared storage space based on the same technology.  Which meant that my teammates had access to all the aircraft I typically carried around.  And given the improved slaving-controls and auto-pilot functions, they could pilot all those drones at the same time too.

    Our two stealthed Peregrines were set to record the fight, and follow Madara should he survive.  That left three Pelicans, a little outdated but still heavily armed, three of our newer Sea-Hawks, which we¡¯d replaced the Pelicans with, and a single Osprey, the closest equivalent we had to a flying battleship.  All armed with specialized seal munitions over and above the usual rapid fire cannons, machineguns and lasers.  It was the kind of firepower that could level a city.  And it was all targeted at one man.

    Unfortunately, Madara was the kind of ninja who could level a city too.

    Watching him fight back was an education.  One that I¡¯d have enjoyed much more if I hadn¡¯t feared immediate death.  And not just from Madara ¨C I¡¯d given the order for extreme danger close.  That meant ¡°bombard my position such that the damage doesn¡¯t do worse than halve my shields.¡±

    Lasers lanced down, but Madara instantly covered the whole area in smoke.  It wasn¡¯t enough to avoid the ships¡¯ sensors, not given the backdrop of Kurama¡¯s chakra to provide constrast, but it did disperse the energy beams into uselessness.

    Luckily for me, those were only the least of the drones¡¯ weapons.  Unluckily, the rest fared little better.  Madara twirled and spun, dancing and leaping away from the streams of incoming fire.  Seal-shells were cut down by fire techniques and kunai.  He shun-shinned around, almost teleporting as entire football fields of terrain were set of fire, crushed under impossible gravity, torn apart by razor-winds, cast into the void, or any of a dozen other exotic effects.

    The ground was shaking, turned into the world¡¯s largest bass speaker as acoustic-vibrational destruction seals used the high speed of sound propagation within a solid to make fleeing underground impossible.

    And then, seconds after the bombardment began, Madara finally had a moment to retaliate.  It looked like a laser-show at a concert as his impossibly thin, impossibly hot threads of fire-chakra turned the air into plasma as they traced back along the paths of incoming fire to impact my air support.  Even the heavily shielded Osprey only held for a moment before its shields were over-run and it was swatted out of the sky.

    Madara came to a stop, sweating and panting, his clothes disarrayed.  He was even bleeding from a few near misses.  It was nice to know he was mortal.

    But he looked pissed.

    Before he could move, I tried out my finisher.  The Mind-Flay technique flew out, a bolt of incredibly fast, incredibly difficult to notice yin-chakra designed to over-reinforce and burn out every neuron Madara had.

    His fist glowed, and he fucking swatted it away.  I didn¡¯t even think that was possible.  Hell, the technique basically used a mix of genjutsu and medical-aspected chakra, specifically because they ignored most ninja defenses.

    My eyes widened.  Oh, shit.  This was part of the Rinnegan.  Controlling chakra energies, and sensing them.  That meant Madara was a lot better with the Rinnegan than I¡¯d hoped.

    As Madara¡¯s hand came up, I dodged sideways as quickly as I could.  But his gravity pulse still caught me, passing through by my chains and shields as if they weren¡¯t there.  I¡¯d gotten partially out of the way, the blow only clipping my shoulder.  It was still enough to shatter my upper arm bone and spin me into half a dozen revolutions.

    I bled momentum off by having my chains cut through the ground, and opened up on him as I came to a stop.  He seemed more tired that I had expected; the blow had been powerful, but nothing near what Nagato or ¡°Pein¡± managed in canon.

    Oh, that¡¯s right, I thought.  Uchiha, not Uzumaki.

    I opened up on him, my directed energy seals trying to blind his eyes while my cyclone bullet and cannon seals launched round after round at him as I closed the distance.  Grimacing, I dumped the rest of Kurama¡¯s un-purified chakra that I had stored.  The concentrations were bad enough now that even jonin could expect lasting health issues.  If untreated, minor demons and demonic-mutated beasts were likely to become a serious issue for the surrounding lands in the future.  But as bad as that was, and as much political capital as it would cost me, I would be happy to deal with it as long as I survived.

    Between the corrosive chakra clouding his vision, and his need to dodge and avoid my attacks, Madara was much less able to hit me than before.  We zoomed over the terrain, destroying ground and trees with our missed attacks as we avoided each other¡¯s blows while trying to end the fight.  Our wounds were building up, his superior skill and technique matched against my superior reserves, ability to spam attacks, and seal-shields.

    In the end, it was coming down to endurance.  And even though I was taking hits more frequently, and more severely, one of us had a bijuu willing to fill their reserves and speed their regeneration, and the other did not.

    I could see it in Madara¡¯s eyes when he realized that he was losing.

    And when he decided that if that was the case, he may as well flip the board.

    He began channeling a massive amount of chakra for some do-or-die attack.  Probably do-and-die, actually; the split focus, the chakra demands on an already strained system, it was just too much.  Well, too much to manage to keep dodging quite so well at least.  Just as he launched his attack one of my cannon shots blew through his knee, taking out the lower half of his leg.

    It didn¡¯t help me much though.  He¡¯d hit me with another gravity pulse.  But to compare it to the one that had fucked up my shoulder was like comparing a tank¡¯s cannon to a nine millimeter pistol, both in size and in intensity.

    This hit pulped me.

    I came to a moment later, and all I felt was pain.  I was literally overloaded before an emergency seal kicked it, numbing all nerves.

    ¡°Kurama, what¡¯s the damage?¡± I thought to my partner.  I didn¡¯t think I was even capable of speech at that point.  He took a moment to answer, and that¡¯s when I knew I was fucked.

    ¡°It took out most of your guts, your right lung is gone, left is perforated, and your heart is damaged.  I¡¯ve managed to stop you from dying of shock, but I can only keep your brain alive another dozen or so seconds.  As it is, we¡¯re mostly in your mindscape, which is the only reason we can even have this conversation.¡±

    Oh.  Well, fuck.  ¡°And Madara?¡±

    ¡°You managed to hit him in the leg with an explosive cannon round.  I doubt he¡¯s moving at all right now, and if he is it won¡¯t be fast.¡±

    I looked up, and saw the streaks of re-entry from my kinetic bombardment.  It might be pyrrhic, but I¡¯d take the victory.  After all, death was hardly the end.  Not for me.  And the idea of being part of a ¡°rocks fall, everyone dies¡± situation was kind of funny.

    ¡°Well, Kurama.  It¡¯s been real.¡±

    The nine-tails snorted.  ¡°You¡¯re not getting rid of me that easily.  I haven¡¯t been this entertained since, well, ever. You¡¯re going to transfer my seal so that I can come with you.¡±

    I would have laughed.  If, you know, I could breathe.  ¡°That¡¯s nice, Kurama, but no way can I store your chakra in my soul.¡±

    ¡°I know.  But you can take me with you in death.  The seal should be enough of a link that if we both hold on, you can keep a grasp of me.  And then while I may leave my body, my chakra, behind, my mind and soul will continue with you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s insanely risky,¡± I complained.  ¡°Co-mingling souls like that.  Let alone what the experience of death might do to you¡­¡±

    ¡°And yet, it is my risk to take,¡± he stated firmly.  ¡°You will not leave me behind on this wretched planet to suffer boredom until I go insane.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty damned risky for me too, you know.¡±

    I could feel his sharp-toothed grin.  ¡°You forget my origins.  I am but a part of a facet of power.  It is part of my identity to be part of something greater.  You qualify.¡±

    He had a point.  I was pretty sure I could pull it off.

    ¡°I was sort of hoping you¡¯d look after my family.  Keep Sachiko and my progeny safe, make sure Uzushio stayed on the straight and narrow.¡±  Sachiko had ¡°biological samples¡± to allow me to have heirs for just this kind of eventuality.  It was part of our agreement for her to flee fights like this one when I ordered.

    ¡°I am coming with you,¡± Kurama stated.  ¡°And I will keep you in this mindscape, frozen in time, until you agree.¡±

    I laughed a bit at that.  It may be a risk, but having company during the timeless isolation in the Void, let alone a friend to stay with me from life to life, seemed worth it. ¡°Very well then.¡±

    We prepared ourselves for death, and Kurama released the mindscape.

    And thus ended my second life.