“My goodness Yagura-sama, this is unprecedented growth!” Harusa yelled for what felt like the hundredth ti. Granted, it was high praise coming from him and it felt good to be making progress in strengthening not just Kirigakure, but myself.
Since becoming Mizukage I’ve been swamped under docunts, politics, policies, admin requests and balancing the yearly budget with the current reality in the face of multiple attacks. But finally, I’d returned to what brought to wear the hat in the first place— my shinobi training and in particular, my Jinchuriki training.
I smiled as Isobu’s chakra cloak seeped through my skin and back into the seal, I peeled my eyes open and t Harusa prepared for the worst and yet was blown away by the unexpected and near perfect performance.
It has been three weeks since I awoke from my coma now and suddenly I’d returned to Turtle Island intent on training with Isobu despite how wary of the idea Harusa was. It was nice to see him eating his words without sha.
Once Isobu’s chakra faded completely he relaxed his own prepared jutsu and ca closer to examine , “Not a single burn or even…how?”
I chuckled and drank from my water bottle, “You wouldn’t believe if I told you, Harusa.”
The intense Fuuinjutsu regarded with a fierce, pleading look that held an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, “Tell , please, such a rapid improvent could change Utakata’s life as a Jinchuriki, he’s far ahead of you but with this…whatever this is he could see mastery of the beast within in but a few years!”
I nodded in agreent. I hadn’t thought much of Utakata but as Kirigakure’s second Jinchuriki I couldn’t dismiss him from my thoughts for too long. The Akatsuki would be after him as well and synchronicity with his tailed beast, Saiken would help in resisting the worst case scenario.
Not to ntion, should he master the power of Saiken he could easily be a contender for my successor, though I doubted the anti-social boy had any interest in ruling his village.
“Where is he anyway? Now that I’ve got to this level we should take up training together and I an active spars.” I added the last part so Harusa would know I wouldn’t baby his precious student.
The man seed to deflate as I avoided answering his question but answered mine with a shrug, “He is doing his duty, we are preparing for war are we not?”
Ah, yes. I keep forgetting my general orders included so noteworthy persons. Right now he should be with other Chuunin preparing the three islands Kirigakure had policing rights on—Turtle Island included— against the war. They had been spared involvent in the war since even a single police station manned by a Kiri-nin counted an island as part of our domain and under our protection.
Now that Kiri is joining the war in full there will be no need for its enemies to respect those islands, Turtle Island included— though I doubt Baron Tetsuya would be so foolish to co so close to Kirigakure’s mainland.
Still, I worried for the young man and it shad that as his Kage I didn’t know enough about his strengths and weaknesses. It was among my nurous responsibilities to evaluate the quality of our Jinchuriki but thus far I’ve been self-absorbed with my own issues.
That said, I believe I’d witnessed him wield a one-tail chakra cloak, a level above what I was currently patting myself on the back for achieving even with help from Isobu. Perhaps he would be fine, there was at least a single Jounin involved in those reinforcent squads and in this war there shouldn’t be a single Samurai capable of harming him without lethal consequences.
Satisfied with that reassurance, I fell back to my ditative pose and began the breathing exercises, “Once I master the three-tails chakra in its entirety I will tell you how I managed this so quickly, but if you want a hint, I’ve already told you how in the past.”
I snuck a peek at the man, he’d fallen back a safe distance away and was preparing himself as I was but there was an undeniable look of deep thought as he rummaged through his mories, muttering, “Have you? Hrrmm, I will recall and if I do not, I will anticipate your mastery, Yagura-sama. You’re ever confident despite the challenge.”
Indeed, I was, though not without reason or struggle. With Isobu’s cooperation the toxicity of his chakra and the damage it did to my body was lessened. I could also fine tune just the right amount of chakra to ensure that I lasted at least fifteen minutes before the strain beca apparent and began burning and regenerating my chakra pathways to suit its needs.
Technically, that was a good thing. A Tailed Beast’s chakra was corrosive to the body because it was force its nature onto the host, ridding the host of weaker stuff like normal bones, skin, blood and more imdiately, chakra pathways. The more of the tailed beast chakra the host takes, the faster they beco susceptible to tailed beast transformations.
It’s exactly what Hidden Villages wanted for their Jinchuriki, though it ca with the caveat that if the transformations or leaked chakra aren’t controlled they risk releasing the tailed beast on the world.
Fortunately, that wouldn’t be a problem for Isobu and I. His chakra would burn away my pathways and strengthen them to a Tailed Beast’s standard as ti passes, simultaneously increasing my chakra reserves by leaps and bounds and bolstering my body against the worst effects. The only downside I saw to this little symbiosis was one that couldn’t be avoided— a shortened lifespan.
Putting away those dreary thoughts I breathed and felt the music of Isobu’s waters brush the back of my mind, “Isobu, once more please.”
I felt his chakra answer my call in drips, slowly starting from my torso the warmth spread until I was covered in it. With asured breaths I opened my eyes and stood, flexing the strength coating my entirety. Not a single tail had ford behind but that was alright, I would take my ti mastering this single stage rather than rush my way into burnt out chakra pathways and a hastily shortened lifespan.
Still, the power felt, “Invigorating.” My voice bood, guttural as it was the last ti I wore Isobu’s chakra. “I wish Utakata were here, I need sothing to punch, sothing that can take a hit.”
Harusa regarded with wise caution, his fingers ready to ignite his sealing jutsu should anything go awry, “You could simply recall him.”
I shook my head, “Let him do his duty.”
“Ah, then there must be others. One of the Swordsn perhaps?”
I shook my head again, though that was a good idea, “All sent on missions. Perhaps when Fuguki returns or Kisa, until then, I’ll do a lap around the island, see if I can make it under fifteen minutes.”
Harusa sweated at that, “Uh, are you sure? Should I co with you?”
I rely grinned as my feet cracked the earth beneath , I barely needed to brace my knees to leap beyond what I was capable without the cloak and I zipped past Harusa.
With the wind on my back and an island of trees and scarce settlents, I bounded through without holding back. Exiting the temples vicinity within seconds and entering the thick of the colossal tree forest that plaited the island.
I bounded with ease off of thick tree branches, snapping them as I leapt away and over thirteen more in a single bound. The power was magnificent, I breathed as I ca face to face with a particularly broad tree, hesitating for a mont before grinning as I blasted through its midsection, crashing outward several paces away with little more than a grunt and a snap back of my dislodged shoulder.
My healing, strength and speed were all accelerated to rapid degree though I noticed I burned through the cloak with each flagrant move and excessive injury healed away in a blink.
I stood, lost in the forest with what felt like all the power in the world, though I knew well it wasn’t. There were multiple people capable of defeating even in this state, Kisa or Fuguki wielding Sahada each had a fair chance but the one person I was cautious of was but a child now.
Uchiha Itachi. Jason’s mory of my defeat against his Amaterasu had itching to bring out the best utility of the chakra cloak. I wanted to be flexible with it, wield it as I did a kunai or my Bo-staff. I wanted to be able to discard it as well as any pesky undying fla.
For now, that was my goal.
‘Do not beco complacent, Yagura-kun. The future you have described, you will need all I have, there is much to teach you but yes, master one facet first before another.’
I let the chakra cloak seep back into the seal and winced as my healed shoulder spiked with moderate pain. It was healed but the mory of the injury remained.
“Don’t worry, Isobu, I will learn it all and I won’t let them hurt us.”
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