According to the tradition established since Hiruzen took office, the highest-level decisions in Konoha were made by the Hokage, the Hokage's assistants, and the advisory elders.
Each mber of the leadership team consolidated the work of the departnts they oversee, then collectively discussed them in a team eting. Under normal circumstances, these etings were held once every three days.
On this particular day, the sun shone brightly over Konoha, and the weather was splendid.
In the Hokage's office, the first eting of the ninth month of the year was underway.
There were no new faces among the participants, just the sa familiar ones:
The Hokage, Minato, 24 years old, representing the jonin unit, the main regular army of the Konoha ninja forces.
The forr Hokage and now Hokage's assistant, Hiruzen, 57 years old, overseeing departnts other than Root, including the ANBU, Education, dical, and Interrogation divisions.
The forr Hokage's assistant and now advisory elder, Danzō, 57 years old, representing Root.
And lastly, the current advisory elders, Homura and Koharu, 57 years old, representing the Administrative Departnt.
The eting lacked the leisurely vibe of tea-sipping and newspaper-reading; on the contrary, the old-tirs were brimming with energy, fiercely fighting for the interests of their respective departnts.
After all, the 2 billion ryō in war reparations from the Land of Water was split 50-50 as per tradition—1 billion ryō had already been deposited into the Administrative Departnt's accounts.
"Let's address the allocation efficiently," Minato began. "Ti is valuable, and there are pressing matters requiring our attention."
How to allocate this 1 billion ryō was up to the people in the room to decide.
If not for this matter, the eting would've ended long ago.
Although Homura and Koharu managed the Administrative Departnt, they didn't have the final say on how the funds would be spent.
That authority lay with Minato, Hiruzen, and Danzō.
"The compensation for fallen shinobi families must be our priority," Minato stated. "I propose thirty percent of the funds be allocated imdiately for this purpose."
"A noble gesture. However, we must consider that dead shinobi cannot protect our village's future."
"Careful, Danzo," Hiruzen interjected. "So might interpret such statents as questioning the value of sacrifice."
"You always were skilled at twisting words," Danzō said, but didn't press further.
"The families of our fallen deserve more than delayed promises," Minato said firmly. "Thirty percent. Non-negotiable."
No one objected.
Satisfied, he entered spectator mode.
That left Hiruzen and Danzō to continue their struggle. Their main disagreent revolved around the allocation of the ANBU's budget.
"Hiruzen, this 100 million ryō must be given to ," Danzō demanded. "The ANBU just loiter around the village all day—why do they need so much funding?"
"The ANBU also undertake missions within the Land of Fire," Hiruzen retorted. "The war has just ended, and taking drastic actions abroad right now could easily lead to trouble. Don't forget, Root is also part of the ANBU."
"Nonsense. Trouble arises only when there isn't enough funding; if the budget is sufficient, there'll be no issues," Danzō argued.
Homura and Koharu instinctively shuffled their chairs further away, well-versed in these old battles.
"You're being too aggressive. Right now, internal stability is the priority. There are countless areas within the village that require funds."
"I'm not aggressive at all. The Hannya Black Ops may seem insignificant, but their ergence is concerning. It shows that the village's deterrence power abroad is waning," Danzō said coldly.
"So many people risk their lives for the village abroad, yet the village can't spare any funds for them? That's not sothing a Hokage should do!"
Minato was dumbfounded. "Danzō, are you criticizing ?" His blue eyes narrowed slightly.
"I apologize. It was just a slip of the tongue. I wasn't referring to you."
"…"
"You're being unreasonable." Hiruzen slamd the table angrily.
"And you're losing your mind!" Danzō stomped his foot, waving his cane in fury.
Homura and Koharu silently moved even further away, their chairs scraping against the floor.
Minato glanced out the window. The village seems so peaceful from up here. If only these etings could be the sa.
He figured there was no hope for lunch today.
"An additional 10 million ryō for Root, no more," Hiruzen declared, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"You must be joking!" Danzō's grip tightened on his cane. "Just dealing with the Hannya Black Ops cost 2 million ryō. Ten million wouldn't even cover a month's expenses for Root. Let tell you, Hiruzen, the Iwa and Kumo ninjas are still eyeing the village closely!"
"The Administrative Departnt has prepared several allocation scenarios—"
"Which I'm sure favor maintaining the status quo," Danzo interrupted, his single visible eye fixed on Hiruzen. "Just as your policies always have."
"Strange, how your definition of 'status quo' always excludes the shadows you operate in. Tell , how does a re two million ryō disappear into an operation against a minor group? Don't tell you embezzled again?" Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
"What do you an by 'again'? Where's your proof of embezzlent?"
"Do I need proof? Two million? The Hannya Black Ops? Seriously?"
"Perhaps," Danzo countered, leaning forward slightly, "you should ask your successor about the value of that intelligence. After all, he approved the expenditure."
How do I always end up in the middle of their argunts? Minato thought.
"Minato, is this true?" Hiruzen asked, puzzled.
The Hannya Black Ops' significance didn't seem to warrant 2 million ryō.
"It's true. We considered multiple factors," Minato explained with a wry smile. "On one hand, they killed our village's shinobi, which left a terrible impression. On the other, the intelligence they had regarding a secret realm has been verified."
"Even so, 2 million ryō is excessive," Hiruzen muttered, though he accepted Minato's judgnt.
A secret realm's intelligence aside, the murder of Konoha's ninjas deserved a strong response.
Hiruzen was cautious about military operations, but only when the enemy was one of the other four major ninja villages.
For the Hannya Black Ops? Not worth his concern.
"Who was the shinobi executing this mission?" Hiruzen asked.
"Masashi," Minato said. "You know about him. In fact, this mission was also an opportunity to closely observe him."
"Oh…" Hiruzen's expression shifted. "The young man who has the Kiri ninjas so wary?"
"Indeed. Recent investigations by Root show that his reputation in Kiri surpasses even that of Shisui," Danzō interjected coldly, still irritated. "The bloodline clans in Kiri have instructed their ninjas to avoid him."
"So his Ice Release is indeed a bloodline limit," Hiruzen mused, picking up his pipe. "The Uchiha clan produces so many geniuses…" Perhaps too many.
"This goes beyond genius," Danzō said sharply. "He's rewritten the iron rule that Sharingan cannot copy bloodline limits. Two million ryō to uncover his secrets—does it sound like enough now?"
Hiruzen ignored him. He knew this old rival too well. Engaging would only encourage Danzō further.
"Minato, what exactly are you trying to observe about him?" Hiruzen redirected the topic.
"I might be overthinking it, but the descriptions of his Body Flicker in the reports seem… off."
"Hmm? You an to say…" Hiruzen initially didn't understand, but then his eyes widened as realization struck.
Danzō and the others reacted similarly. They were all veterans of the ninja world, well-versed in its intricacies. To them, no possibility was too outlandish.
Their teacher had once loved combining a certain technique with the Body Flicker. Enemies who didn't know about it often thought they'd died from the latter alone.
Even now, with Minato as the Fourth Hokage, many in the ninja world still believed his Body Flicker was absurdly powerful.
"Could it really be possible..." Hiruzen furrowed his brows and glanced at his old friend.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique was created by our Tobirama-sensei during the Warring States period. The Uchiha clan must have known about it. That man might have copied it with his Sharingan. While he may not have grasped the true essence of the technique, we cannot rule out the possibility."
"Indeed… That's definitely within the realm of possibility…" Hiruzen felt a headache coming on. The Uchiha's power grows ever more concerning.
The Hokage's office fell into a heavy silence, each occupant lost in their own thoughts.
---
anwhile, in the distant land, Masashi was staring at the scene before him in silence. This better be worth the trouble.
"This is the entrance you ntioned?" he asked, glaring at the jonin. "I told you, this intel isn't my primary objective."
Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and the Shikkotsu Forest were the three most famous places to learn Sage Mode in the Naruto world.
Make no mistake—they didn't gain fa because of the Legendary Sannin. These secret realms were renowned long before.
What lay before his eyes was a deep ravine with yellow soil, its walls dotted with countless cave openings.
This has got to be a joke, he thought, scanning the cliff face. Am I supposed to check each of these caves one by one?
If not for his habit of first verifying things with his Sharingan, he might have actually thought soone was ssing with him.
Unfortunately, while the Sharingan could detect lies, it couldn't perform detailed soul-searching. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to ask.
"It's definitely here. We followed the natural energy emanating from the earth to find this spot," the jonin explained.
He looked reluctant, as if spilling this long-sought secret had been a last resort for his own survival.
"You have people in your group who can sense natural energy? That's impressive, even if it's just residual energy," Masashi said, skeptical. "Why haven't they gone in themselves if they're that skilled?"
"It's not just us. There's a particular clan that can naturally sense and absorb the natural energy circulating in the earth. We located this place through them." The man shifted his weight, uncomfortable under Masashi's piercing gaze.
"What about that 'particular clan'? Don't take it the wrong way, but your group's strength isn't enough to handle shinobi capable of using natural energy."
"We followed them secretly. We avoided conflict," the jonin admitted. "There was almost a fight once, but after learning why we were here, they ignored us."
Of course they would. Mastering natural energy isn't sothing just anyone can do—it's a gift.
The strong know when to ignore the weak.
The clan the Hannya Black Ops ntioned was likely the one Jūgo ca from. This clan had lived for generations in places where natural energy seeped from the earth, passively gaining so sage art abilities.
It was through this clan that Orochimaru found Ryūchi Cave.
In the Warring States period, natural energy wasn't unfamiliar to shinobi. They were obsessed with it, seeing it as a source of imnse power.
The Ten-Tails, revived in the original tiline, was feared because it could freely manipulate the natural energy of the world, rendering its strength imasurable.
But no matter how much shinobi coveted it, natural energy was elusive. It was like a refined maiden who wouldn't easily entertain just anyone.
The fa of the three secret realms lay in their mastery of natural energy's three primary diums: earth, water, and air.
Ryūchi Cave governed earth.
Shikkotsu Forest governed water.
And Mount Myōboku governed air.
In theory, soone who obtained the sage arts of all three realms could access natural energy anywhere in the world.
Hashirama was one such extraordinary individual, though his knowledge might not have co directly from these realms.
After all, for soone like Hashirama, who had never found anything difficult to master since childhood, his abilities were unparalleled.
If asked to teach, he'd likely say, "You just do this, then that, and voilà… Wait, why isn't it working for you?"
Natural energy wasn't just known to shinobi; even ordinary people with influence were aware of its existence.
Among the three secret realms, Mount Myōboku was the most famous. Many sought its maze-like paths annually, but even if they found it, they couldn't enter without the toads' permission.
The toads were social creatures, favoring connections and relationships. Gaining entry required knowing the right people, but once inside, you were safe.
No wonder so many desired to undertake its trials.
Shikkotsu Forest remained a mystery to the outside world, though it had close ties to the Uzumaki and Hōzuki clans.
The slugs were reclusive. They rarely interacted with outsiders, and even if you found the entrance, they might ignore you entirely, making you think you had the wrong place.
Its safety rating was sky-high; the trials weren't accessible in the first place.
Ryūchi Cave, however, had a peculiar reputation. Its entrance was relatively easy to find, but leaving was an entirely different story.
The snakes of were exceedingly hospitable—but not in a way that cared for their guests' well-being. If the cave relied on tourism for inco, it would've gone bankrupt long ago.
Actually, it did rely on tourism—but it was strictly one-ti transactions.
In the current shinobi world, Orochimaru was the only one to have ventured into Ryūchi Cave and co back alive.
Even so, it was still regarded as one of the three holy lands of sage arts, alongside Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest.
No wonder the Hannya Black Ops felt bold after finding traces of Ryūchi Cave.
After all, if they weren't killed by Konoha, they might still end up dead inside the cave.
"So many caves... Have you pinpointed the right one?" Masashi asked.
"There's no need to pinpoint. This entire area serves as the entrance. Any spot could lead to Ryūchi Cave," the jonin explained, gesturing at the honeycomb of openings.
"One of our mbers left us this information. He could sense the natural energy seeping from the earth."
"And where is he?"
"He didn't co back..."
Of course not. Classic Ryūchi Cave.
"Show where he left the ssage."
The Hannya shinobi nodded and jumped down into the ravine, Masashi following. They descended to the bottom and stopped before one of the caves.
From above, this cave didn't seem particularly different. Up close, however, it stood out like a temple gate among peasant hos.
The entrance had a remarkably symtrical, door-like shape. At its center was a large main cave surrounded by six smaller caves arranged in a semi-circular pattern.
On one of the walls near the main entrance was a carved symbol.
While the entrances to secret realms were mysterious, they didn't operate like so random trapdoor you'd accidentally fall into. There was always an intuitive sense—visitors would know if they could enter and could decide whether to proceed.
The hosts of these realms wouldn't interfere. The chanism was fundantally akin to space-ti ninjutsu, with entrances that weren't fixed.
That said, the snakes of Ryūchi Cave probably made their entrance a fixed one.
One-ti transactions, after all.
"What's needed to enter?" Masashi examined the carved mark. Judging by its condition, it had been made just a few days prior.
Moreover, it was neatly done, suggesting the carver had worked in a stable environnt and wasn't in a rush.
Such a well-organized welco. Like a perfectly set dinner table. Just don't ask what's on the nu, Masashi thought.
"Nothing special is needed. As long as you can sense natural energy, you can enter."
"Alright, you're coming with ." Masashi used a genjutsu, subduing the shinobi.
Then, he expanded his own sensory awareness.
If the snakes had designated this spot as an entrance, it had to be a location where natural energy overflowed in abundance. As long as his sensory skills were sharp enough, the gatekeeper snake would open the way.
With his current sensory abilities, perceiving the natural energy that actively spills out of the environnt was no issue for him—it only required ti.
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