Chapter 19

Sasuke was relieved that his mission was nearing its end. He and Squad 11, led by Chuunin Kotetsu Hagane, had been sent to a village reportedly attacked by bandits after Konoha's recent invasion. For the past few days, they had combed through the village's remains, tracing the outlaws' path. Their search had led them to the edge of the Land of Tea, where the bandits had made camp. Unfortunately for the outlaws, they remained well within the jurisdiction of Konoha.

These were no ordinary bandits. Their leader was a man called Akuma, once a chuunin of Kirigakure. This rogue ninja, a C-rank threat in the bingo book, had vanished from his village months ago. He now led this group. Akuma's defection likely had roots in the unrest brewing within the Bloody Mist Village. Some of the group, Sasuke suspected, were genin-level shinobi, likely defectors who had followed Akuma.

The chuunin exam invasion had left the Land of Fire's borders under martial law. Due process was suspended, especially for those tied to a hostile village like the Hidden Mist. Their orders regarding the bandits were clear. This mission, which began as an investigation, was now an execution. He hadn't chosen this mission - but he was part of it, and he would have to see it through. With the village stretched thin, the village couldn't currently afford to use ANBU for a trivial mission such as this.

"So, Uchiha," Kotetsu said, turning to Sasuke, "what's your plan?" Sasuke was new to the rank of chuunin, younger even than the two genin under Kotetsu's command. His performance during the recent exams had drawn quite a bit of attention. While Kotetsu led this operation, he was also given the responsibility of easing the young chuunin into his new role. Part of that process was giving them the space to plan and make decisions, even if those decisions proved slightly flawed.

"A genjutsu to subdue them all," Sasuke said. "We can handle the few who break free. We then extract the prisoners and deal with the rest."

Kotetsu's lips quirked. "In theory, yes, we could do that. If we had a jounin capable of such a feat. That requires an A-rank genjutsu, and I doubt even your Sharingan can manage that yet."

"I saw that jutsu in action during the exams. I copied it," Sasuke replied. He had seen it in action, but not who cast it or how. Yet, with his newfound understanding of the Sharingan, he had replayed the moment in his mind, tracing the chakra flow he had observed. Combined with jutsu theory he had absorbed from Indra, he had successfully replicated the genjutsu. He hadn't tested it on humans yet, but he felt certain it would work.

The genin, listening in through the comms, exchanged skeptical glances. They were positioned at the opposite end of the clearing, ready to intercept any escapees. They knew that the Uchiha was described as a prodigy, but this claim seemed too far-fetched.

Kotetsu kept his gaze on the camp. "If you can do it without alerting them, go ahead." If the kid could actually pull this off, they would return with a perfect mission. But he had his doubts.

Sasuke performed the hand seals, channeling his yin chakra to blanket the area. The cover of night, coupled with the distractions of their evening meal, made the task considerably easier.

Near a bonfire, one of the bandits yawned. "You know, the food was so good, I'm feeling extra sleepy tonight." He joked.

"No kidding. I might fall asleep before I even—" His friend's words died in his throat as he slumped forward, hitting the ground. Within moments, unconscious bodies sprawled across the clearing. Only their leader, Akuma, remained, having broken free from the genjutsu after recognising it.

Akuma scanned the area, his breath catching in his throat. It looked like they had gone too far this time and attracted shinobi attention. Judging by the jutsu, he was likely facing a jonin.

"You don't have to do this," Akuma said, his voice strained as he searched the darkness for an escape. "I can offer you double my bounty. Just... let me go." He took a step back, his earlier confidence gone.

"I'm afraid that won't be sufficient," Kotetsu said, his voice flat as he entered the clearing. "You messed with the wrong village. The only payment we accept is your blood."

"Konoha!" Akuma cursed, watching the team close in. In a desperate move, he lunged toward Sasuke, the youngest, hoping to take a hostage.

Sasuke's s blazed in the darkness, locking onto Akuma's gaze. The rogue's eyes widened in panic as he recognized the infamous dojutsu.

"Shi—" Akuma spun and slashed his kunai in a wide arc, having seen one of the genin approaching. It sliced through the genin's face, a spray of blood erupting in the air. The genin crumpled, and Akuma's kunai was instantly at his throat, a cruel grin twisting his features.

"You should have taken my offer," he sneered, his voice laced with triumph.

Then, a coppery taste filled his mouth, and he coughed, spitting blood. The genin he held vanished, and the world around him twisted.

"Good work, Uchiha." Kotetsu nodded as he pulled out the Kunai from the rogue chunin's back. 'Kids these days are scary. Yeesh.'

"That's it?" one of the genin muttered, disappointment evident in his voice. The fight was over before they could even join.

"Hardly," Kotetsu said, a grim set to his jaw. "Riku, Isamu, secure the prisoners. Sasuke, help me with the rest."

"Got it." Sasuke drew a kunai and turned to the nearest unconscious enemy genin. As he considered what he was told to do, his hand trembled for a moment. Was this how Itachi had done it? Slaughtering his clan in their sleep with his genjutsu? Then, he pictured the fresh graves of the villagers killed by these bandits, and his hand steadied. One by one, he slit the bandits' throats.

"He's just doing what needs to be done," Kotetsu explained to the wide-eyed genin watching Sasuke. As Kotetsu moved to assist Sasuke, he wondered what was going through the boy's mind. He was a seasoned shinobi, accustomed to the gristly aspect of his job. But watching a twelve-year-old boy do the same was different. He wondered if Sasuke would fall into the same madness that had consumed the last Uchiha prodigy. For the sake of their village, he hoped that would not happen.

Contrary to what his teammates might think, Sasuke wasn't unmoved by the bloodshed. This was his first time taking a human life. This vile group could hardly be considered human, but still, he was taking lives. Indra would likely call his inner turmoil foolish. Thankfully, Indra hadn't reappeared after his initial visit. Sasuke knew he needed to be careful not to go over the edge like his brother. Itachi had been desensitized to death and murder because of his ANBU career. He, on the other hand, needed to walk the line between not hesitating to kill an enemy and becoming a murderer who disregards life.

Sasuke wiped his kunai clean after ending the last bandit, and saw that Kotetsu had finished with his side as well. The latter then signaled the genin to move the prisoners. Once they were safe, Kotetsu used an earth-style jutsu to bury the bodies.

"How do you feel?" he asked probingly. He had noticed that the Uchiha's Sharingan now had three tomoe, unlike the two he'd seen during the invasion.

"Not much different, honestly." Sasuke shrugged. "I've seen worse."

Kotetsu winced, reminded of the Uchiha tragedy the young boy had witnessed as an academy student. In the face of such a deep-seated trauma, Sasuke seemed relatively well-adjusted. On the outside, atleast.

"Alright, we'll join the genin in escorting the villagers to the nearest town. Good work on this mission."

"Thanks."


The day after discovering Naruto's remarkable healing abilities, Tsunade organized an extensive series of tests to explore their limits. She began, with a grit that made even Naruto flinch, by inflicting on herself a variety of injuries. These ranged from minor cuts and burns to a chillingly precise replication of the severe spinal damage that had sidelined Lee. Her own medical expertise allowed her to create controlled, accurate injuries, pushing the limits of what she dared test on others.

To further her understanding, Tsunade enlisted the help of several shinobi who had been forced into medical retirement due to debilitating injuries following the invasion. One ANBU operative, whose arm had been burned beyond repair, volunteered to take this experimental treatment. The King of Hell's power was able to regenerate the limb, but the process drained a significant portion of Naruto's chakra, leaving him visibly fatigued. It was clear that while fresh wounds could be healed with relative ease, older, more established injuries demanded a far greater toll. Tsunade made a mental note not to attempt the procedure on any patients with much older injuries than this.

With these findings, the decision was made: Lee's surgery would be moved up to the very next morning. There was no benefit to waiting, and Tsunade worried that delaying might only increase the chakra cost while also increasing the complication of the injury. As long as the patient was alive, she was certain that the King of Hell could heal them. However, she was uncertain how the chakra demand might scale with duration for such a severe injury.

A bewildered Lee had been led to the operating room by Shizune, her cheerful demeanor doing little to dispel his confusion. As they walked, she explained that a new, experimental treatment had been discovered-one with the potential to fully heal his injuries. Her words reignited the fire in Lee's eyes that had dimmed since he first learned the extent of his damage. Hope surged through him, and he eagerly asked when the procedure would take place. Shizune's reply was simple and immediate: "Now."

Moments later, she guided him into the room, where Tsunade and Toruna were already waiting.

"Lady Tsunade, Toruna," Lee said, bowing deeply. "May I ask about the nature of this experimental treatment?"

Tsunade nodded, her eyes carefully reviewing Lee's medical history once more. "We've found a way to potentially heal your injuries completely, Lee. The procedure involves sedation and the use of sensory deprivation seals. You won't feel or sense anything from the moment we activate them until they're deactivated. When you wake up, you should be fully healed. We're still testing this method, but everything we've seen so far indicates a high chance of success. However, it's crucial that you trust us and follow our instructions completely. Do you understand?"

Lee hesitated for only a moment, realizing that Tsunade hadn't really answered his question, before nodding resolutely. "If it means I can walk the path of a ninja again, I will place my faith in you, Lady Tsunade."

"Good," Tsunade replied, her expression softening just slightly. "Now, lie down. We'll administer a sedative to keep you relaxed during the procedure."

Lee complied without protest, his eyes alight with excitement and hope. As Shizune began administering the sedative, Tsunade flipped through a series of hand seals and placed her middle and index fingers on Lee's forehead. A sealing array spread out from the tip of her fingers and spread through Lee's body. Lee wasn't too alarmed, as the sedative was already starting to take effect. With the seals in place and the sedative taking full effect, Lee's body relaxed completely, his consciousness drifting into a peaceful, dreamless state.

Naruto sighed. "I kinda feel bad for not telling him what's gonna happen."

"He doesn't need to know," Tsunade said firmly without looking up. "You'll learn that's how a lot of things in this world work, Naruto. Sometimes ignorance is protection."

"Yeah, like how I didn't need to know who my parents were." Naruto muttered bitterly.

Tsunade's hand froze momentarily before she resumed inspecting the seals, her tone softer but still serious. "I wouldn't have trusted a loud-mouthed genin to keep something so monumental a secret either. But I won't defend the way Sensei handled it. You deserved better." Finding everything to her satisfaction, she gave Naruto the go-ahead.

"Well, let's get to business, shall we?" Naruto cracked his knuckles and focussed, his mind intent on summoning the entity known as the King of Hell. He had discovered during Tsunade's tests that he didn't actually need to slam his palm on the ground like a regular summon. This one worked just based on his intent to summon it, which was convenient.

A moment later, the room appeared to darken. Purple flames erupted in a towering circle next to Lee's bed. The King of Hell emerged, its imposing presence casting a shadow over the room. Despite having seen it multiple times that day, Tsunade and Shizune tensed at its oppressive aura.

"Lets hope this works." Tsunade muttered. Although she had replicated many severe injuries, she couldn't actually go to the extent of replicating Lee's spinal injury. All her experiments so far pointed to this becoming a success, however.

Naruto nodded, directing the King of Hell to heal Lee. The entity's grotesque tongue extended and quickly wrapped around Lee. Lee's unconscious body was carried inside and the large mouth shut. Naruto was tense as he focussed directed the bulk of his chakra flow towards the otherworldly entity. The process was far more demanding than he had anticipated, the entity pulling greedily at his reserves. Beads of sweat formed on Naruto's forehead as he struggled to maintain the chakra flow. Within a minute, half his chakra had been consumed, and the pull showed no signs of abating.

A flicker of unease crept into Naruto's thoughts as he felt his reserves rapidly dwindling. What if it's not enough? What if I can't sustain this? The possibility gnawed at him as his breathing grew heavier, his muscles tense with the effort of keeping the monstrous entity fed with his dwindling energy.

"Urgh…" A groan escaped Naruto's lips as his chakra dipped to dangerously low levels, his body beginning to falter. The hungry pull from the King of Hell felt like a black hole, consuming everything he had to give. If this continued, he might be forced to beg the nine tails for chakra.

Tsunade, who was watching Naruto like a hawk, caught the signs immediately. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and placed her hand firmly on his shoulder. The seal she had painstakingly crafted unraveled in an instant, releasing a surge of chakra directly into Naruto's system.

Naruto's eyes widened at the sheer volume of chakra that flooded his system. The powerful torrent flooded his drained reserves almost instantly. The weight of the entity's pull lessened as the new chakra reinforced his efforts.

As the surge of chakra steadied, Naruto could feel the balance shift. The hungry pull of the King of Hell began to lessen, no longer threatening to overwhelm him. Slowly but surely, the drain eased, and Naruto took that as a sign of the completion of the procedure.

"I think that should be enough, baa-chan," Naruto said, and Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief. Naruto watched hopefully as the demand for chakra stopped and the entity's mouth began to open. An otherworldly glow emanated from within and Lee's body was gently expelled and placed back on the operating table. The King of Hell retracted its tongue and vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the room silent once more. Tsunade immediately stepped forward, her hands glowing with diagnostic chakra as she scanned Lee's spine.

A slow smile spread across her face as the results confirmed her expectations. "The damage is completely healed," she announced, her voice tinged with both awe and satisfaction. "Not a single trace of the injury remains. In fact, it appears the healing went beyond just repairing the damage. His muscles have been restored to such an extent that it's as if has never used the Eight Gates technique at all. I didn't expect it to heal chronic muscle damage."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed. "That's why it took so much chakra. Because he has used the eight gates multiple times, he had a lot of accumulated trauma in his body."

Tsunade nodded. "We should have accounted for the possibility of that being healed. It's fortunate the procedure completed safely, despite the massive chakra cost. I can't believe it took half of all the chakra stored in my seal…"

Naruto winced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. I'll help replenish it. My chakra regenerates fast, so I can spare a good chunk of it every day until you're back to full capacity."

Tsunade's shoulders relaxed, a hint of relief visible in her face. "That would be much appreciated. Restoring that much chakra on my own would take years, and that's if I were willing to compromise my… appearance," she said dryly, a bit embarrassed to admit her vanity. "But with your help, it might only take a few months. Especially as you can imitate others' chakra."

"No problem, granny!" Naruto grinned, giving the older woman a thumbs up.

Tsunade's expression morphed into an annoyed one at the cheeky remark, her eyebrow twitching in irritation. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, you little brat?" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Shizune froze as she noticed Lee shift in his bed. "Umm… Lady Tsunade?"

"Shit." Tsunade hurried and removed the sensory deprivation seal from Lee. She was thankful they had taken this precaution, as the King of Hell had removed the sedative from Lee's system and brought him back to a conscious state. They knew this would happen from their prior tests. However, the seals had ensured that he would not see or hear what was happening even if he was awakened.

Lee blinked his eyes open as he felt the seal's effects leave his body. He saw Tsunade peering down at him with a slight smile.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

Lee took a deep breath and assessed his condition. " I feel…" He trailed off, his voice trembling with hope as he tried to move. He lifted his hand tentatively, then sat up slowly, his body responding without pain for the first time in what felt like forever. His breath caught. "I can move! Lady Tsunade, I can move!"

Tsunade grinned. "Try standing." She said simply.

Lee's eyebrows shot up, but he complied all the same. Gingerly, he placed his foot on the floor and stood up gingerly. His face brightened when he realised that he felt no pain or resistance.

"Can I try walking?"

"You can try jumping." Toruna said with confidence. "You're completely recovered."

Tsunade shot Toruna a sharp glance, her expression unreadable but clearly annoyed at his enthusiasm. 'Don't make him suspicious, brat,' she thought, holding her tongue.

Seeing no objection from Tsunade, Lee took a cautious step forward. Then he understood. He couldn't feel any pain. His balance was impeccable and effortless. It was as if the last month of agony and frustration had been erased from existence. No, he realized, it was more than that. His body felt… stronger, more responsive.

Deciding to risk it, Lee tensed his legs and leapt into the air. A wide grin spread across his face as he soared upward. His body felt lighter than he remembered. Mid-jump, he twisted his body into a backflip and landed with both feet firmly planted against the ceiling. Not letting gravity get a hold of him, he pushed off again. Executing another backflip, he landed perfectly in his original spot.

"Alright!" Lee pumped his fist and whooped with joy. "I'm at a hundred-and-ten percent! Thank you! Thank you!" He said, his voice thick with emotion. "I will never forget this debt, Lady Tsunade."

"You owe him more than you owe me." Tsunade said, tilting her head towards Toruna. "He's the one who found the cure." She said, without elaborating.

Lee's eyes were round with wonder. The boy, who appeared younger than him, had found a miracle cure for his devastating condition. Even Lady Tsunade herself had described his condition as an extremely difficult one to treat.

"Thank you, Toruna-san!" Lee bowed low to the younger shinobi. "You have inspired me to improve myself and dedicate my efforts to becoming even stronger. If someone at your age can achieve such a miracle, then I must redouble my own training and push beyond my limits!"

Naruto smiled awkwardly at the praise. "Just glad I could help, Lee. And please, take it easy from now on."

"I second that." Tsunade said firmly. "It took nearly everything we had to heal you. You are to pace yourself, especially when it comes to using the Eight Gates. Recklessness will only undo all the progress we've made. We'll conduct regular monthly reviews to ensure that you and your sensei don't go overboard again."

Lee straightened, recognizing Tsunade's no-nonsense tone. "Yes, Lady Tsunade! I will make sure to follow your guidance and be more careful from now on!"

"Now, I'm sure Gai is worried sick, waiting for your surgery to complete. Why don't you go and surprise him?" Shizune suggested.

"That's a great idea, Lady Shizune." Lee beamed. With one final bow, he practically sprinted toward the door.

"You think he's going to stick to moderation?" Naruto asked, glancing at Tsunade.

Tsunade sighed, shaking her head. "Not a chance. But that's why we'll keep an eye on him. His spirit is what makes him who he is, and I wouldn't want to dim that. Just… let's hope his sensei doesn't encourage anything insane."

Naruto grinned. "With Gai? Yeah, good luck with that."


Naruto ambled toward the Team 7 training grounds the next day, in high spirits owing to the success of Lee's recovery. As the familiar clearing came into view, he spotted Sasuke standing off to one side, his back to a tree. The Uchiha seemed engrossed in his thoughts, arms crossed and brows furrowed in contemplation.

'His Yin-chakra has increased.' Naruto noted, observing his teammate closely. Looks like Sasuke has been doing some serious training on the side.

As if sensing his gaze, Sasuke looked up. Naruto waved a friendly greeting, and Sasuke nodded in acknowledgment.

"Naruto! You're here! You'll never guess what happened today morning!" Sakura waved, eager and excited to break the news.

"Lee's back in action, huh?" Naruto smirked.

Sakura let out a huff of annoyance. "Do you know everything that happens in the village?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm. "This happened just an hour ago. How could you possibly…"

"I live under the same roof as Tsunade." Naruto said, amusement evident in his voice.

"W-wait, what?" Sakura's eyes bulged in shock. "I knew that you lived in the Senju compound, but I thought she might be living in a different house." She trailed off.

"Nah, we're all in the main house. It's pretty big, and she's occupying the clan head's quarters." Naruto knew that it might look a bit strange to an outsider that he, Tomi and Tsunade all lived in the same house -especially since Sakura didn't know that Tomi was Mito, who was related to them both. 'Wait till you find out that the Fourth Hokage and his wife live there too.' He thought, suppressing a grin. He should hear Kushina's snicker.

"How did he get healed?" Sasuke asked with interest, his gaze flickering to Naruto's eyes.

"W-Well, it was an experimental treatment. And it was a complete success!" Naruto deflected the question, but knew that Sasuke had deduced the truth.

"That's all everyone talks about." Sakura complained. "All I know is that it was an experimental treatment method -and I talked to Toruna, who actually came up with that method. Even he's being all hush-hush about it, saying that he can't really talk about that."

"Well, it's all cool as long as it works, right?" Naruto said pacifyingly.

"I guess. But it could revolutionize medical ninjutsu. I hope I can see it some day…" Sakura trailed off.

"Well, I see that everyone's here on time, for once." A breezy voice interrupted their conversation, and Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Kakashi leaning casually against a nearby tree. As always, his nose buried in his ever-present favorite book.

"You say that like you're the punctual one!" Naruto exclaimed, his indignation palpable. "You're the reason we started being late in the first place, believe it!"

Kakashi looked up from his book, an amused eye crinkling in response. "Ah, but Naruto, you shouldn't imitate everything I do. You see, you shouldn't do everything that I do, because you can't do everything that I can do." Kakashi said as if he was imparting great words of wisdom.

Naruto sputtered in outrage, while Sasuke sighed, clearly over the banter. "So, what are we doing today? A team mission?" he asked, cutting to the point.

"Not quite, Sasuke." Kakashi smiled. "As you all know, today marks two weeks since you began your Fuinjutsu training. So, you all know what that means, right?"

"Testing time!" a cheery voice interjected.

The team turned as Suchiko bounded into the scene, her energy and enthusiasm filling the training grounds. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and she had the kind of wide grin that could either be infectious or unsettling depending on the situation.

'When did mom get there?' Naruto wondered, having failed to notice her approach. Which was quite a feat, considering he had the most hallowed of the three great dojutsu. 'Did she actually learn the Flying Thunder God?' He thought incredulously.

Naruto has been struggling to grasp the intricacies of space-time ninjutsu to develop his own jutsu based on the Deva path's space-time manipulation abilities. In the meantime, Kushina had taken it upon herself to learn her husband's jutsu -something she didn't wasn't able to do in the past, mainly due to the war and her pregnancy that followed.

Suchiko caught his eye, her grin deepening as if she could read his thoughts. Then, with a playful wink, she all but confirmed his suspicions.

'No way!' Naruto cheered. He knew it was only a matter of time until Kushina got the technique down. The three main requirements were an immense knowledge of sealing, a large enough chakra reserve, and excellent control over the said chakra. While Kushina had always checked the first two boxes, she had fallen short on the control aspect.

Now that she was a shadow clone, however, Kushina had far less chakra to manage, which likely allowed her to cross the final threshold. Naruto noted that the technique had drained a significant portion of her clone's chakra reserves, indicating that her control wasn't flawless yet. But still, she had done it. Even if it wasn't viable for prolonged combat, the ability to hop across space-time, even sporadically, was an invaluable skill.

Naruto's excitement for his mother's success quickly morphed into determination. He quietly resolved to amp up the work on his own space-time jutsu. With the upgraded Rinnegan, his control over space-time manipulation should have improved by leaps and bounds. He needs to put it to the test and see what he could do. He hadn't given up on learning the actual Hiraishin, but his own ability might actually be stronger if properly trained, according to his father.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Suchiko's dramatic entrance. It looked like he, too, was caught by surprise with her sudden arrival. "So, you're here to judge us?"

"Not just her," came another voice, and Tomi entered the clearing in a more sedate pace. "All three of us will conduct an exercise to see how well you've mastered the basics of sealing."

"Tomi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, bowing deeply to the older woman. "It's good to see you!" Sasuke hurried to imitate the gesture.

"You mentioned something about a test?" Naruto asked. He hadn't heard anything about it.

"That's right." Tomi smiled. "You have all learned the basics of sealing and have each successfully created a storage scroll. At this point, we usually conduct an aptitude test of sorts, to see how much of the theory you're actually able to understand and apply.

Suchiko clapped her hands together. "And don't think this is just going to be a simple writing test. Oh no! We're going hands-on today!"

"What are we supposed to do, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Your task is to develop and demonstrate an original sealing formula. The functionality of the seal is entirely up to you. It could be for storage, containment, enhancement, or something entirely unique. We'll be scoring based on two key factors: the efficiency of your design and the effectiveness of its execution." Tomi explained.

"And don't worry," Suchiko added, "We're not expecting miracles yet. Just show us how you can think outside the box with what you've learned so far. Impress us! Doesn't matter if the seal exists already, because there are tons of seals with all sorts of uses. All that matters is that you come up with a design and are able to understand what each seal you used in it is for. This is an individual exercise, by the way, and we'll each monitor one of you so that you don't accidentally blow yourself up."

"That doesn't sound so hard," Naruto said, relieved. He created a swarm of shadow clones and scurried off to one end of the training grounds, already bouncing with excitement.

"He's going all out, I guess." Sakura said, shaking her head in amusement. She turned towards Sasuke, but found that he was already sat under a tree, unfurling his scroll to start the design process.

'I suppose I should get started too,' Sakura thought, a twinge of nervousness creeping in. Determined, she moved to another corner of the training ground, carefully unsealing her tools and scroll from her storage scroll. She took a steadying breath as she spread the parchment out before her, arranging her supplies with precision born of habit.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tomi quietly positioning herself nearby. The older woman maintained a respectful distance. Close enough to observe and offer guidance if needed, but far enough not to crowd her or add to the pressure. Meanwhile, Suchiko had gravitated toward Sasuke, and Kakashi had chosen to shadow Naruto.

Naruto watched his clones argue what the best seal would be. Being the Uzumaki in the team, he felt an unspoken pressure to create something extraordinary. The Uzumaki name carried weight, especially in the world of sealing techniques, and Naruto didn't want to disappoint. His clones' chatter grew louder as they continued to brainstorm, and he realized he had to step in.

"Alright, what are the ideas so far?"

One clone eagerly raised a hand. "What about a seal that sends false signals to the enemy's brain? Like, it could freeze them in place or even make them shut down for a while!"

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "Sounds cool, but do you really think we can pull that off before the day's over?" Manipulating lightning chakra to that level was tricky.

"Maybe…? With all of us helping?" The clone thought out loud.

"And who are we testing it on?" Naruto pressed, crossing his arms. "I don't think testing it on clones would work, and I'm not too excited about trying it on myself."

The clone hesitated before turning toward Kakashi with a hopeful look. "What about-?"

"Don't even think about it," Kakashi interrupted, giving them a pointed, no-nonsense glare.

"Well, there goes that idea," the clone muttered, deflating.

"How about a seal to block pain?" another suggested.

Naruto shook his head immediately. "Blocking pain's a bad idea. Pain helps us figure out how bad an injury is. If we ignore it, we might make things worse."

"Okay, then how about a barrier seal?" piped up another.

Naruto sighed. "Way too complicated for now."

"Ooh! What if we make a seal on a kunai that seals away anything it touches? You could seal away our opponent's weapons or clones, or even enemy ninja themselves! Kind of like that Totsuka blade Itachi carried."

Naruto paused. That was an incredible idea.He didn't expect one of his clones to come up with something like that. Maybe he'd subconsciously thought of it before, but it had slipped his mind.

"That's a great idea," Naruto admitted. "But… can we finish it by the evening? And sealing away people sounds tricky, especially if we want to keep them alive."

"Let's start small for this test," a clone suggested. "Focus on objects first. We can work on the advanced stuff later."

"Alright. No point thinking all day. Let's get started!" Naruto cheered. "We'll need to modify the basic storage scroll to add an activation trigger and a timer. We'll need to safely transcribe it into a Kunai, and we'll need to make sure to have a way to unseal the sealed object."

"Let's go!" The clones cheered, and scattered to start the task. Naruto grinned. With the daily lessons from Minato on space-time ninjutsu and his Rinnegan's ability to actually see space-time, he was hopeful he could get something working by the end of the day.


By mid day, Naruto and his clones had worked out all the specifics of the seal. If he had a Kunai that was large enough, he could inscribe this design onto it and see it work the magic. Unfortunately, however, he would have to reduce the size of the seal to an eighth of its current size to actually be able to inscribe it on a standard kunai.

"This is the smallest we can write." One of the clones said with disappointment, The sealing formula consisted of a dozen different symbols linked together in an intricate pattern. However, it was too large to be of any practical use.

"Maybe we should make a giant kunai and shrink it with a seal?" another clone suggested half-heartedly.

"And how do we make a kunai? It's not like we can create things out of -wait a minute!" Naruto inhaled sharply. He could make things out of thin air. It was one of the first things he did, after obtaining his Rinnegan!

"It's worth a shot!" Naruto said, focussing on his hands. A pitch black rod formed in it. This was the most basic technique that Hogoromo showed him during their meeting. It was an almost equal mix of Yin and Yang chakra, and this was the most basic function of the creation of all things. This wasn't a true Yin-Yang release technique, although it was formed with a mix of Yin and Yang chakra. However, he could use his control over creation of all things to make something useful for the current situation.

Naruto concentrated harder, the rod morphing into the shape of a massive kunai. In truth, it was more akin to a short sword, its size and heft far surpassing that of any standard ninja tool. The material felt solid but strangely light, a stark departure from the usual weight of forged steel. It wasn't as sharp or polished as something crafted by a blacksmith, but it was sufficient for his needs.

"Now, let's see if I can shrink it," Naruto murmured, running his fingers along its surface as he channeled his chakra to modify the construct further.

Naruto was unaware that his sensei was watching him with wide eyes. 'What am I even looking at?' Kakashi thought, his mind racing. Naruto just created a kunai out of nothing… actual matter, formed entirely from chakra. That's not even close to normal ninjutsu. As he watched, Naruto tried to mold the weapon further.

'He's not just talented; he's manipulating chakra on a level most shinobi wouldn't even dream of reaching in a lifetime. And yet, here he is, treating it like another experiment. What is this kid turning into?' Kakashi shook his head, watching in amazement as the kunai began to shrink little by little.

After a while, Naruto stared at the oversized kunai, realizing that he couldn't shrink it any further than half its original size.

"You'll need to reduce the density," Kakashi said casually, then paused, almost regretting the words as they left his mouth. Was it unfair of him to step in like this? He quickly decided that it was fine. Kushina and Mito also seemed to be offering subtle hints to Sasuke and Sakura when they hit roadblocks. This wasn't about competition, after all. It was about growth and learning. Normally, shinobi wouldn't be spoonfed like this. However, Naruto faced threats far greater than anyone else, so they didn't have the luxury of time to let him figure things out on his own.

"You're right! Thanks sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with realization. If he didn't have the rigorous background information from Kabuto, he wouldn't even have known what that word meant. But he knew what Kakashi was talking about. To shrink the kunai further, he needed to ensure that its initial structure had as low a density as possible.

A grin spread across Naruto's face as a new idea formed. "I'll make a normal-sized kunai first, expand it to the size I need, and then shrink it back down!" His laughed, feeling pleased with the clever workaround.

He focused his chakra again, this time forming a much smaller kunai in his hands. Step one, done. Now came the tricky part: expanding it without compromising its structure. Naruto poured his chakra into the kunai, watching as it stretched and grew large enough to accommodate his seal. The material felt less rigid, almost breakable. But integrity was not something he was concerned about at this point.

"Now to work the magic." Naruto took out the sealing pen and began to meticulously inscribe his formula as precisely as he could. After a minute of work, he nodded when he was satisfied with the seal.

"Let's see if this works." Taking a steadying breath, Naruto focused on shrinking the kunai once more. This time, the process was smoother, and the kunai compressed effortlessly in his hands. A triumphant grin spread across his face. Atleast, until he noticed something was off.

"The formula is getting distorted," one of his clones cursed, peering closely at the kunai.

"The compression isn't uniform," another clone chimed in, quickly pinpointing the problem. "Because the kunai's shape is uneven, different sections shrink at different rates. The seal's symbols are getting stretched or squished in the process."

Naruto frowned, staring at the distorted seal. "So we need to either account for the distortion while inscribing it or find a way to shrink it uniformly…"

Kakashi shook his head at Naruto's unorthodox approach, a faint smile tugging at his lips. 'There are two solutions to every problem,' he mused, 'the normal way and the Naruto way. I wouldn't have thought of distorting the initial formula to get the final result right. It's unconventional, but it might just work.'

"Alright, we've got three hours left!" Naruto announced. "Here's the plan: ten of you will focus on perfecting the predistortion of the seal. The rest will work on figuring out how to shrink the kunai uniformly without messing up the formula. Every time we finish a kunai, the clones working on that attempt will dispel, and I'll make new ones to replace them. Sounds good?"

"Yeah!" the clones chorused, their collective enthusiasm infectious.

"Let's do this!" Naruto declared, clapping his hands together. The clones dispersed into their assigned groups, diving into the challenge with single-minded focus. He grinned, feeling the familiar rush of excitement that came from solving a tough problem with teamwork. Even if the team was technically just himself.


By the afternoon, Naruto was nursing a pounding headache, the consequence of cycling through more than two hundred clones in his relentless pursuit of perfecting the design. A heap of discarded kunai lay piled next to him, a testament to his tireless efforts. To anyone else, the sight might have seemed discouraging. A mountain of failed attempts. But to Naruto, they weren't failures; they were stepping stones, each one bringing him closer to success.

In his hand, he cradled a single kunai, the culmination of hours of trial and error. His exhaustion evaporated as he stared at the precisely inscribed seal etched onto its surface. It turned out that predistortion was the answer. Even though he had managed to reduce the amount of distortion by careful control of his technique, a little distortion was inevitable. Slowly, Naruto had learned to predict how the distortion would happen according to the way he shrunk the Kunai. As a result, he was finally able to create the marvel he cradled in his hand.

"Ready, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, feeling proud of Naruto's accomplishment. He could see the potential in Naruto's creation, even if the boy himself was still grasping the full implications of what he had achieved.

"You bet'cha!" Naruto cheered, his energy renewed as he followed Kakashi toward the evaluation area.

As he approached, he spotted Sakura and Sasuke already seated, their attention shifting to him. Both were eyeing him with a mix of curiosity and apprehension, clearly having snuck enough peaks to realize the intensity of his process.

"Finally decided to show up, huh?" Sasuke smirked, leaning back casually.

"Yeah, what took you so long, Naruto?" Sakura teased.

Naruto grinned, holding up the kunai. "Had to make sure this beauty was just right. Hope you're ready to be blown away!"

"I'd like to see that." Suchiko grinned, eager to see what her son had come up with. "But it's first come, first served! So we'll start with Sakura."

Sakura nodded and unfurled her design. "It's a poison detection seal." She proclaimed proudly. "It's used to monitor a person's chakra and their vitals, and it'll warn the user if it finds something amiss. It should be able to detect most basic poisons. The main problems are the size of the formula and actually inscribing it on a person. I don't know how to shrink it or apply it on someone." She finished.

"That's brilliant!" Kushina beamed after examining the seal carefully. "I think there are heart-rate monitoring seals in the hospital, but this goes one step beyond that. Good work, Sakura! It's simple enough to shrink down or apply. I'll teach you how. You'll have to see if it gives any false alarms, though, especially when the ninja in question is performing ninjutsu. Chakra tends to fluctuate in all sorts of erratic patterns when performing jutsu, and that shouldn't be taken as a reaction to some poison."

Sakura's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that. I'll work on that, sensei!"

"Good work, Sakura," Mito smiled. "Let's see what Sasuke has brought us."

Kushina let out a whistle of appreciation as Sasuke unfurled his design. "That's a useful one."

"No kidding." Kakashi looked at the nature altering seal that Sasuke had created.

"What does it do?" Sakura questioned, while Naruto squinted at the seal in an attempt to analyze it.

"It's a filter of sorts. It converts pure chakra into a chakra with an affinity. This one converts input chakra to fire natured chakra." Sasuke placed his hand over the seal and channeled some of his chakra into it. He then lifted the scroll and pointed it towards a nearby tree. Barely a moment later, the scroll spat out a torrent of flames that set the tree on fire.

"Whoa, what did that poor tree ever do to you?" Naruto quipped, though his eyes were glued to the intricate seal. He stepped closer, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Let me see…" Naruto said thoughtfully. "The chakra is first channeled into this initial container, which is pretty standard, and then its split into Yin and Yang streams," he said, gesturing to the two branching seals after the first space seal. "But this part…" He tapped the intricate pattern etched in the center. "This custom seal is something else. It's like you've created a full chakra nature transformation system in miniature. The way the Yin and Yang lines intersect and branch must be shaping the chakra flow to give it fire affinity. Where did you even come up with this?" His eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise.

Naruto moved on to the next section. "Then you're passing the transformed chakra into another seal. This one looks like it mimics the movement of chakra in the Great Fireball Jutsu. And finally, it connects to the output array here, which funnels the jutsu outward."

Naruto glanced at Mito. "Did I get that right?"

Sakura blinked, dazed by Naruto's analysis. 'How did he understand all that just by looking at it?' She wondered, awed by the Uzumaki's intuition.

"Excellent, Naruto. That is correct." Mito beamed with pride. "And well done, Sasuke. Your custom seal is quite unique, I haven't seen nature transformation being done that way before! It is quite efficient, exceptionally so for someone who just started out." Mito observed the young Uchiha carefully. 'He must have an exceptionally clear understanding of chakra to come up with something like this. The question is, is this simply an innate insight or a gift from the Uchiha ancestor?'

"Thank you." Sasuke said with a slight nod, his tone measured, though the faintest glint of pride flickered in his eyes.

"I assume you have other uses in mind?" Kakashi asked Sasuke with interest.

"If I can inscribe it on my body, I should be able to filter my chakra artificially and use jutsu of other elemental affinities." Sasuke replied. 'And if I can filter out all the yang chakra, I can use it to enhance the sharingan.' He thought, but opted to not say that out loud. He could accumulate and store more yin chakra this way.

"That's an ambitious project," Mito noted, "But this is a very good start for it. Now let's see your design, Naruto."

Naruto grinned and proudly took out his Kunai. Mito stared at it, realizing that it was not an ordinary Kunai Naruto carried.

'Like father, like son, I suppose,' Kushina thought fondly, noting the seal inscribed in the Kunai. She couldn't make out the seal's design from this distance, but wondered what technique Naruto used to shrink the formula. She had not taught him the standard technique yet, and even that would not shrink the formula to such an extent. He would need to use one of the advanced techniques like chakra writing to achieve that. But clearly, Naruto had done something different.

"Behold! The Kunai of Totsuka!" Naruto bragged, showcasing the Kunai to his seemingly unimpressed teammates. Naruto noted that Sasuke did have his Sharingan activated, despite his nonchalant expression.

He spun the kunai deftly in his hand and hurled it toward a nearby boulder. The kunai embedded itself into the rock with a satisfying thunk.

Sakura frowned, unsure what that was supposed to do. Just as she was about to voice that question, the boulder appeared to… twist?

Sasuke stiffened as he watched the surreal scene unfold. The distortion surrounding the kunai was subtle but noticeable. A faint ripple that warped the space around it. In the blink of an eye, the massive boulder seemed to collapse towards the kunai, as though being devoured by some unseen force. In the next instant, both the boulder and a significant chunk of the earth beneath it were gone without a trace.

For a brief moment, the kunai hovered mid-air, as though savoring its triumph, before gravity claimed it. It clattered to the bottom of the newly-formed mini-crater, the only physical evidence of what had just transpired.

"What… just happened?" Sakura's voice was barely above a whisper, her wide eyes darting between the crater and Naruto.

Naruto crossed his arms, a smug grin spreading across his face. "That, my friends, is the Kunai of Totsuka. It compresses and seals anything it touches once I activate it. Pretty cool, huh?"

"That. Is. Insane!" Suchiko practically squealed as she darted over to inspect the kunai. Her sharp eyes traced the intricate inscriptions on its surface. "How in the world did you manage to shrink your formula down so well?"

"Well, I cheated," Naruto admitted with a grin, forming another kunai in his hand with a small flourish. "I couldn't shrink the formula itself, so I made the kunai from scratch and adjusted its size instead."

Sakura and Sasuke gaped at Naruto's casual violation of what is deemed possible by the laws of nature. Seeing their curiosity, he passed the Kunai to his teammates.

"What is this even made of?" Sakura asked, gingerly examining the kunai as though it might vanish at any moment.

"The Rinnegan allows the user to perform a technique called the Creation of All Things," Sasuke interjected, his sharingan studying the kunai intently. "It's a jutsu that essentially uses yin and yang chakra to shape reality. Everything that exists can be boiled down to yin and yang. The Rinnegan, with its absolute command over chakra, can theoretically replicate anything in this world by balancing those two forces."

Sakura's eyes widened as she carefully handed the kunai back to Naruto. "Wait, so… you created this from nothing?"

"Nothing but my chakra," Naruto said with a smug grin. "It's not perfect, though. It's lighter but less durable and sharp than a normal kunai. I'm still figuring out how to make it stronger. But as you can see, it serves the purpose."

"This technique has serious potential in combat if you can cut down the activation time," Sasuke remarked, returning the kunai to Naruto. "With enough refinement, you could seal away enemies or even their jutsu on the spot. Though," he added with a faint smirk, recalling the feats of the Sage of Six Paths from Indra's memories, "ninjutsu directed at you isn't exactly something you need to worry about much these days."

Naruto tilted his head, watching Sasuke carefully. 'He knows an awful lot about the Rinnegan, including the Preta path's abilities,' he thought. 'Guess Indra must've told him.'

"I must say, all three of you have exceeded our expectations today," Mito smiled, gently interrupting their conversation. "What you've accomplished here shows ingenuity and effort. Seeing your growth in this art has more than justified the time we've spent teaching you." Reaching into her bag, Mito retrieved three well-worn books and handed them to each of the young shinobi. "You've all demonstrated a strong foundation in Fuinjutsu, and so, I entrust these guides to you. They will lead you into intermediate techniques, offering insight and structure. However, I urge you not to let these pages define your limits. The true strength of Fuinjutsu lies in innovation, in adapting seals to suit your unique needs."

"Thank you," Sasuke bowed, having understood that the team's regular sessions with Mito and Suchiko were probably coming to an end. It didn't seem practical for them to continue now that they had built a solid foundation in Fuinjutsu. Flipping through the book, he found that the book was indeed a comprehensive compendium on Fuinjutsu.

"And Sakura, your design has great potential. Why don't you show it to Tsunade? I'm certain she'd be very interested in seeing it." Tomi remarked.

Sakura's eyes widened, her excitement barely contained. "Y-you really think so, sensei? Lady Tsunade would want to see my design?"

"I have no doubt," Tomi affirmed. "She is always interested in making a medic's job easier. She'll recognize the value of this seal."

Sakura straightened, her voice steady with determination. "I'll make sure everything is perfect before I show it to her. Thank you, Tomi-sensei!"

Naruto smirked, tossing his kunai into the air and catching it. "Guess I'll keep refining this. I wanna see what else it can do."

"Just make sure you don't seal yourself in it," Suchiko said, only half joking. "Mina- uh, I mean, Lord Fourth once had an unfortunate accident when he was starting out with his space-time jutsu."

Naruto froze mid-toss, his eyes wide. "Wait, what?! He sealed himself? What happened?"

Suchiko waved a hand dismissively, the mischievous glint in her eyes as she recalled the debacle. "Oh, nothing too serious. He got stuck in between space-time for a couple of hours. Took a handful of seal masters to get him out. I'm just asking you to be careful."

"You knew Lord Fourth?!" Sakura's voice brimmed with surprise as she looked at Suchiko with a newfound sense of awe. The kunoichi didn't look much older than Kakashi. Then again, Lady Tsunade doesn't look as old as she is either.

"Sure I did. We were in the same class at the academy," Suchiko replied, a playful smile on her face. "Did you know that Kakashi here was his student?" She reached out to ruffle Kakashi's hair in a teasing manner, and to the team's astonishment, Kakashi didn't seem to object.

"Wow… You never told us that, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura turned to him, eyes wide with curiosity.

Kakashi chuckled. "It's not exactly a secret, Sakura. Almost everyone knows about it. Besides, I didn't think it was relevant to mention."

Suchiko clapped her hands, cutting off any further questions. "Alright, enough strolls down memory lane! You've all done excellent work today, and we're all impressed. But I think it's time we called it a day. You've earned a good rest."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "You heard her. Training's over for today. I'll let you know the date of our next meeting, since I have a quick mission to take care of. Dismissed!"

"See you guys later!" Sakura said, turning to her teammates. "I need to see what changes I can make to this before I show it to Lady Tsunade."

Sasuke nodded and turned to Naruto. "I want to have a spar with you soon." He said, his expression serious.

Naruto's grin was immediate, wide, and cocky. "You're on. Next time we meet, unless it's a mission. I've been waiting to kick your ass again."

Sasuke snorted, the corner of his mouth twitching upward as he turned away. "In your dreams."

As Sasuke and Sakura left, Suchiko lingered, arms crossed. "By the way," she said, raising a brow, "don't you have to show Jiraiya your improved Rasengan tomorrow?"

Naruto froze. "Shit!" His stomach dropped like a lead weight. He had his work cut out for him—and not much time to do it.


Back in his house within the Senju clan compound, Naruto stared at the Rasengan in his hand with some frustration. Although he could now form it marginally faster than Jiraiya, its power remained more or less the same. For the stakes of this bet, a marginal improvement wouldn't cut it. He wanted an undeniable victory, and that meant pushing the technique further.

"You know," Tsunade's voice broke through his concentration, "most people would be ecstatic to get where you are now." She lounged on the sofa opposite him, cradling a teacup with an air of casual amusement.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" Naruto snapped, irritation creeping into his tone.

"I am," Tsunade said with a smug grin. "But it's my hospital, and nothing critical is on the agenda today."

Naruto's eyebrows rose as he caught sight of her teacup. "Tea? Really? You've swapped sake for tea now?"

Tsunade grimaced. "Don't remind me. I'd hoped, at my age, I could indulge as much as I wanted. But nooo…"

Naruto started to snicker, which soon turned into outright laughter. "Granny Mito's been on your case, hasn't she?"

Tsunade's glare was half-hearted, but she couldn't deny it. "She wasn't this pushy back then. Seems like the reanimation rekindled some of that old fire in her."

Still smiling in amusement, Naruto focussed back on his task. "What do you think is missing?" Naruto asked, frowning at his Rasengan. Tsunade seemed to be in a talkative mood, so maybe he could get a bit of her insights.

"Years and years of practice," Tsunade said, her smirk returning. "Not exactly something you can cram into an afternoon."

"A year of practice would take… around a thousand clones I guess." Naruto thought out loud. "But the multiple shadow-clone jutsu sucks at transferring experience. And I can't make so many with the normal shadow clone jutsu…"

"It'd also fry every one of your brain cells." Tsunade reprimanded. "No one has used shadow clones to train to this extent before. Even my grandfather, with his ungodly chakra reserves, didn't push it like that. The same could be said for my grand uncle. Most shinobi can't use it as carelessly as you, so the negative effects it has on your cognition hasn't been studied. I wouldn't push it."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. It was just an idea," Naruto pouted. "I don't suppose you have any advanced chakra control exercises that'll help me in this situation?"

Tsunade stilled, an idea forming in her mind. "I might," she said carefully. "Depending on how much you can pay."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You're really gonna charge your own family? Shame on you!"

Tsunade's nostrils flared as she crossed her arms. "I was about to give you the family discount, but you just ruined it, brat. And for your information, I'm not charging you. I'm just teaching you the value of hard work. Besides, a girl's gotta make a living, y'know?" She sighed. "I never expected someone forcing me to buy back my own estate, especially since I don't have any kids. It all seems pointless."

"I guess granny Mito doesn't want to see the Senju in poverty," Naruto guessed. "It was the largest clan in the world for a thousand years, after all."

"I'm not the one solely responsible for the present situation." Tsunade growled. "Granddad was a gambler to heart, too, and he and granduncle donated a lot of the assets to the village."

"I'm sure she only wants you to recover what you lost," Naruto pointed out.

"My techniques are the result of years of blood, sweat, and tears," Tsunade said firmly. "If you want to learn them, you'll have to pay. It's as simple as that. I've only ever taught these to Shizune, and they're the most advanced techniques I've created. Fair's fair, kid. Treating people doesn't make me rich."

Naruto considered that. He couldn't blame her for monetizing her knowledge. Although she was the sole heir of the Senju fortune, gambling away most of it had given her a negative perception in the village and the shinobi. They wouldn't be ready to trust her with the position of Hokage if that's the reputation she had. This was why Mito thought it was important to regain most of what she lost. Naruto almost felt bad for her. She had to work to get a title that she didn't even want.

"Let me know what I'm looking at. And how much are you expecting?" Naruto asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Now we're talking," Tsunade said with a sly grin. "I've got four techniques for you, each with different levels of difficulty and usefulness. But make no mistake, they're all leagues above what you'll find anywhere else." She paused.

"First is the chakra compression and expansion technique. This one's a game-changer. It'll not only let you hide your true chakra reserves from all but the most skilled sensors, but also improve your control. It's the foundation for my strength technique and will even enhance the power of your Rasengan."

"Next is the chakra pulsing technique, designed to improve both the flow and quantity of your chakra. For a ninja, that could mean faster and more powerful ninjutsu. Mastering these two exercises together can push you to the level of an average medical ninja in no time. Provided you put in the effort, of course. These two I can teach you for a million ryo."

Naruto's eyes bulged. "A million ryo? Are you out of your mind? That's the pay for an S-rank mission!"

Tsunade folded her arms. "It's only because we're related that I'm even willing to part with them for money. I should have priced them at a million each. I'm giving you a discount."

"And how much for the other two?" Naruto asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"The third technique was inspired from Suna's infamous puppet brigade." Tsunade extended her palm, and numerous fine threads of chakra emerged from it. She made them twist into elaborate patterns just to demonstrate her control over the technique. "This one's gonna burn a hole in your pocket, but I can guarantee that you can get to Shizune's level once you master it. Ten million ryo."

Naruto gaped. "That's robbery!"

"And finally," Tsunade continued, her grin widening, "microthreading." The threads split into hundreds of finer strands, almost invisible to the naked eye. The sheer precision and control left Naruto speechless. "I'll be lenient and price this at ten million ryo as well, only because it's so hard to learn. The insights you need for this are completely different from chakra threading, so it might take you years to figure it out yourself. Master this, and your chakra control will rival mine."

Naruto whistled low, a mix of awe and disbelief washing over him. That was one hell of a sales pitch. "So basically, I need to bankrupt myself for training."

"Or you can figure it out yourself in a decade or two," Tsunade said smugly. "Your call."

Naruto mulled it over, then smirked. "I'll talk to Dad. I'll let him negotiate."

Tsunade's confidence faltered slightly. "The prices are final, brat. If I deal with Minato, I might raise them. He doesn't get the family discount."

Naruto shrugged. "Good luck with this deal, then. I'm not spending a single ryo without his okay."

"Fine, bring your father in. I'm not scared of him." Tsunade said, stomping out of the room.

Naruto grinned. It seemed that the Senju princess was indeed a little intimidated by his father. He couldn't blame her. He wouldn't want to bargain with a past Hokage with a genius level intellect either.


In the end, Minato had managed to negotiate with Tsunade, securing both the threading and microthreading techniques for a combined total of fifteen million ryo. Naruto thought that it was a sweet deal. However, even Minato couldn't budge her on the cost of the first two techniques. Much to Naruto's dismay, his father had agreed that their pricing was already more than fair for their value.

Naruto didn't have to worry about the advanced techniques for now, since he had to master the first two to even begin attempting them. Besides that, the most urgent one was chakra compression, which he needed to get down before sunrise tomorrow if he wanted to save face in front of Jiraiya. Looked like he'd be pulling an all-nighter today.

Not wasting another moment, Naruto firmly shook hands with Tsunade, sealing the deal. The transaction was set. He would pay the agreed sum, and in return, Tsunade would teach him the coveted techniques. True to her word, she wasted no time and immediately began instructing him on the first technique.

"Here's what you need to do. I'll show it to you extremely slowly, so that your eyes can follow every minuscule movement." Tsunade said. "Watch my body carefully while I inhale and exhale."

Naruto immediately created three clones, positioning them around Tsunade to observe her from every angle. The clones watched intently as she closed her eyes and took a deep, measured breath. As she inhaled, Naruto's sharp eyes noticed her chakra retracting inward, pulling back into her tenketsu. By the time her breath was fully drawn, the chakra had been completely absorbed into her tenketsu, causing each point to glow faintly. She held that state for nearly a minute before releasing the chakra smoothly along with her exhalation, allowing it to flow naturally back into her system.

"Initially, you'll have trouble even compressing the chakra inside the tenketsu, let alone holding it," Tsunade explained. "So what you need to do is to compress it as much as possible and then release it. Each time you repeat this exercise, press the chakra in further and further. Once you're confident that all of your chakra is contained within the tenketsu alone, you can start to hold it. If you're able to hold it for alteast a few seconds by tomorrow, you should be able to beat Jiraiya by creating a better Rasengan. I'll show it to you a few more times, so watch carefully."

Naruto nodded, absorbing the way Tsunade was compressing her chakra. The chakra became denser as it folded onto itself while it retreated inside the tenkutsu. It became lighter as it expanded outside. Naruto had a feeling that the technique wasn't as effortless as Tsunade made it seem. It required an incredible amount of effort to compress chakra to such a great extent.

"You got that?" Tsunade asked, unsure of how much Naruto could see with his dojutsu.

Naruto nodded, determination etched across his face. "Yeah, I think so. Compress as much as I can, release, and keep repeating until I can push it all the way in and then try to hold it in."

"Good. Show me what you're made of, kid. Let's see if we can make a medic out of you yet," Tsunade smirked, placing an arm on the original's shoulder.

Naruto closed his eyes, focusing his chakra. His clones gathered around, ready to observe his attempt and see where he might be lacking. His chakra swirled in chaotic waves before slowly pulling inward. The first attempt barely affected it, his chakra still abundantly spilling all over his system.

"Focus more on control than brute force!" Tsunade barked. "Chakra is like water. It flows better when guided than when shoved! Take it a little slower this time."

Naruto nodded and tried again. This time, rather than forcing his chakra into his tenketsu, he tried to coax it inside. This was marginally better, and a little bit more chakra was stored inside him as a result.

"You're starting to get the hang of it." Tsunade grinned. "Keep it up, and maybe we'll get to see that pervert eat his words."

Naruto smirked at the thought, his competitive spirit reignited. "He's not going to know what hit him."

"Don't get cocky just yet," Tsunade warned. "If it was anyone but you, I'd say it was impossible. I'm counting on you to push through and show me just how far you can go." She nodded and turned back to the house. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to head back to the hospital and see what disasters they've cooked up in my absence. Try not to destroy the estate while I'm gone."

"Alright!" Naruto declared to the darkening horizon as he cracked his knuckles. "Let's get this show on the road! Shadow clone jutsu!"

Forty clones materialized around him, marking his current limit with the technique. They scattered across the Senju estate like an orange army. Some perched on rooftops, others settled beneath the sprawling trees, while a few even claimed patches of open grass. The sun had set, but Naruto was just getting started.


Sakura gulped as she stood in front of Tsunade Senju, now seated in her new office at the Konoha Hospital. She had fine-tuned her sealing technique based on Suchiko's feedback, but further refinement required exposure to a wider range of jutsu that might mimick the symptoms of various poisons. It also seemed likely that the seal might need some degree of customization for each individual user. Lady Tsunade, however, might have insights that could completely overhaul the design if she deemed it worth her attention.

Arriving late in the evening, Sakura had been thrilled to learn that Tsunade had just returned from her evening break. Even so, her nerves were threatening to undo her resolve. She silently thanked Toruna for agreeing to accompany her, though his overly casual demeanor was starting to feel like a double-edged sword. Approaching Tsunade alone might have been intimidating, but having Toruna act like a rogue element added its own brand of stress.

"Yo, nee-chan! Sakura here has something she wants to show you!" Toruna declared breezily, sliding into a chair opposite Tsunade as if he owned the place. He gestured for Sakura to take the seat next to him.

Sakura froze in abject horror. "Uh-uh-uh- he didn't mean it, Tsunade-sama!" she stammered, her voice rising in panic. Her blood ran cold at Toruna's casual address. How could he speak to Lady Tsunade like that? Her pulse raced as regret crept in. She should have come alone. Damn it! Sometimes, Toruna seemed to be a carbon copy of Naruto, but now was not the time for his antics. And while Naruto might get away with it -he always seemed to, somehow -she wasn't so sure that Toruna was similarly insured.

Tsunade snorted, fixing the disguised Uzumaki with an unimpressed look. "Of course he meant it," she said dryly, her tone laced with irritation. "Would it kill you to show a little respect, brat?"

"It would kill me, yeah." Toruna said without missing a beat.

"You're lucky this facility needs you, brat. Very lucky," Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temple. As he was a clone, she couldn't take out her irritation on him, much as she wanted to. "You're Naruto's teammate, right? What do you want to show me?" she asked, turning her attention to Sakura.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. It's an honor to meet you." Sakura bowed and hurriedly retrieved her sealing scroll, her hands trembling just enough to betray her nerves as she handed it to the legendary medic.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow as she inspected the intricate design, holding up a hand to silence Sakura just as she began to explain.

"I can figure out what it's for," Tsunade said, her voice sharp but not unkind. "It's quite a unique design. You came up with this?"

Sakura nodded earnestly. "Tomi-sensei asked me to show it to you."

"This has potential," Tsunade mused, her sharp eyes scanning every line of the seal. "We should work on improving it. You're interning at the hospital, right? I've seen you helping around here. I'll offer you an apprenticeship if you're interested. Your control is solid, unlike a certain someone," she added with a smirk, glancing pointedly at a pouting Toruna, "and your cross-disciplinary skills will come in handy."

"A-an apprenticeship? Under you, Lady Tsunade?" Sakura's voice wavered in awe, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Well, I can't exactly offer you an apprenticeship under someone else, now can I?" Tsunade replied with a hint of humor. "How about it? It'll beat chasing after this little pest, that's for sure."

"I would be honored!" Sakura bowed again, this time so deeply it was a wonder she didn't topple over. The idea of learning directly from Lady Tsunade was a dream come true.

"See, brat? That's how you're supposed to behave," Tsunade said smugly, crossing her arms.

"I'll behave like that when you repay your gambling debts," Toruna quipped, tipping his chair back dramatically to avoid the swipe of her hand.

"Oops, look at the time! Gotta go!" he called, winking at Sakura as he scrambled out of the room, narrowly dodging several projectiles Tsunade hurled at him.

'What did I get myself into?' Sakura wondered as she faced the fuming Tsunade with some trepidation. Yet, even with the lingering tension, Sakura couldn't help the giddy thrill bubbling inside her. She was now the apprentice of Tsunade Senju, the greatest medic-nin of all time.


A bleary-eyed and visibly drained Naruto Uzumaki stood before Jiraiya the next day, his exhaustion palpable in the way he swayed slightly on his feet. In stark contrast, Jiraiya exuded confidence, his smirk suggesting he was certain Naruto hadn't managed to pull off anything groundbreaking in the short time they had for the bet.

"So," Naruto yawned, rubbing his eyes as he tried to shake off the remnants of fatigue, "time to eat your words, Pervy Sage."

"Sure, brat, whatever you say," Jiraiya snickered, clearly amused by Naruto's sleep-deprived state. Nearby, Minato and Kushina stood by their son, their expressions a mix of curiosity and quiet anticipation as they wondered what Naruto had managed to accomplish overnight. Across from them, Mito and Tsunade observed with equal interest, their eyes fixed on Naruto as they awaited the results of his grueling night of training.

"I'll go first. Watch carefully, brat." Jiraiya extended his hand, forming a Rasengan with practiced ease. Naruto's eyes widened as he took in the swirling sphere.

"B-but that's not fair! You improved it further!" Naruto protested, his exhaustion vanishing in an instant. Jiraiya's Rasengan spun faster and harder than Naruto remembered, clearly more refined than before.

"We never agreed that I'd just sit around while you trained, did we?" Jiraiya smirked, his tone smug. "If you can push yourself, so can I."

"Pfft, like that's going to help you," Naruto shot back, his competitive spirit igniting. "Behold!" He extended his hand, and almost instantly, a smaller Rasengan materialized. It was more compact than Jiraiya's and spinning with an almost ferocious intensity, the sheer speed seemed to cause visible ripples in the air around it.

Jiraiya's smirk faltered, replaced by a hint of unease. "Well, there's only one way to settle this, brat. Let's see whose Rasengan reigns supreme!" He raised his own Rasengan, the challenge evident in his voice.

Naruto grinned, his confidence unshakable. "Bring it, pervy sage!"

In the next instant, Naruto lunged towards the sage, confident in the powers of his Rasengan. The Rasengan in his outstretched hand collided with Jiraiya's, and the air vibrated with the raw force of their chakra. A whining sound filled the air as Rasengan pushed against one another in the fight for dominance.

Jiraiya's larger Rasengan initially held its ground, but Naruto's smaller, faster sphere spun with a ferocity that made its edges blur. The clash sent ripples of force outward, rustling the grass and leaves around them. For a moment, it seemed like a stalemate, but Naruto's Rasengan slowly began to press forward. The whining sound intensified, and small flickers of energy sparked at the point of contact. Slowly but surely, Naruto's smaller orb began to carve into Jiraiya's, disrupting its form.

"Impressive," Jiraiya muttered, pumping more chakra into his Rasengan as he tried to salvage the situation. "You really didn't hold back, huh?"

Naruto grinned, sweat running down his temple. "I told you, didn't I? Time to eat your words, pervy sage!"

With a final surge of effort, Naruto's Rasengan pierced through Jiraiya's, dispersing the larger sphere in a burst of chakra. The force of the resulting shockwave pushed them both back slightly, though neither fell. Naruto's hand tingled but his Rasengan continues to swirl steadily in his palm.

Jiraiya lowered his hand, letting out a low whistle. "Well, I'll be damned. You really did it, kid. That's one fine Rasengan you've got there. I think it's almost the same level as Minato's!"

"That's my boy!" Kushina practically leapt into the air, her exuberance contagious. "I knew you had it in you, Naruto! Uzumaki for the win!" She rushed over, sweeping Naruto into a bone-crushing hug. "Did you see that, Minato? Our kid just outdid Jiraiya! I told you he'll become a splendid shinobi!"

Minato chuckled, his usual calm exterior giving way to a rare moment of open emotion. "I saw it, Kushina," he said, his voice filled with pride. "And words can't express how I feel." As he looked at Naruto, and a faint shimmer of wetness in his eyes betrayed just how moved he truly was.

Naruto blinked in surprise, unaccustomed to seeing his father so openly emotional. A sheepish grin spread across his face as he rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, come on, Dad. You're gonna make me cry too!"

"Well I'll be…" Tsunade whispered. "How often do you see a teenager outdo a Kage-level shinobi? That kid is something else."

"Didn't you believe he could do it when you taught him that exercise?" Mito asked curiously.

"I thought he could, eventually," Tsunade admitted, "In another week, maybe. But to nail it this fast? To win the bet outright?" She shook her head with incredulity. "I didn't see that coming. Honestly, I didn't expect him to pull it off today, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope for it."

"So what you're telling me," Mito began, her tone low and steely, "is that you sold the technique to him under false pretenses…" Her words carried a chill that sent an undeniable shiver down Tsunade's spine.

"No, I didn't!" Tsunade spluttered, her hands raised in a gesture of defense. "That technique really did help him! It was his best shot, and he pulled it off because of that, I swear! Minato even saw the price as reasonable. You can't blame me for that!"

Mito huffed, clearly unimpressed but not pressing further. "I suppose not," she said curtly, though the irritation in her tone lingered. "But you'd better not let your… entrepreneurial streak get the better of you again, Tsunade."

Tsunade exhaled in relief, still secretly pleased with her deal.

"I guess a bet's a bet," Jiraiya said with a mock-morose shake of his head. Despite his theatrics, he couldn't suppress the satisfaction bubbling up inside him at his student's remarkable achievement. "I'll talk to Lord Fukasaku about teaching you senjutsu. But don't come crying to me if you can't handle the training."

"Yatta!" Naruto whooped. He then formed another Rasengan in his free hand and poured fire and lightning natures into them. Both looked relatively stable, but they were not as perfect as his vanilla rasengan.

"You don't have to rub it in!" Jiraiya wrinkled his nose disapprovingly.

"I feel like I do." Naruto gloated, grinning.

"Think you can summon Gamabunta now, with all that chakra control you're bragging about?" Jiraiya asked, his tone half-teasing. After all, if Naruto could summon a giant bird, calling on the toad boss shouldn't be beyond him.

"There's only one way to find out!" Naruto replied with confidence. Without hesitation, he performed the blood sacrifice and executed the familiar hand seals. A resounding boom of smoke erupted, clearing to reveal a colossal figure towering over them

Tsunade smirked as she watched the massive toad scan his surroundings. "Looks like the kid can back up all that big talk, Jiraiya. You'd better step it up, or he'll leave you in the dust."

Jiraiya scoffed, folding his arms. "If I recall, I wasn't the one dangling mid-air last week," he shot back, wiping the smirk off Tsunade's face.

"Well, now this is interesting," came a deep rumble as the last of the smoke cleared. Gamabunta's massive form loomed above them, his yellow eyes narrowing at Naruto. "You must be the new summoner. The one who forced Gamahiro to take on the Shukaku, hmm?"

Naruto blinked up at the colossal toad, momentarily awestruck. "Yeah, that's me! Name's Naruto Uzumaki!" He puffed out his chest and grinned. "Nice to meet you, Gamabunta! And for the record, I didn't have much of a choice back then."

Gamabunta exhaled a thick cloud of smoke from his pipe. "Maybe next time, let the grown-ups handle things, hmm?"

"He didn't exactly have that luxury, Bunta, the village was short on manpower as it was overwhelmed" a calm voice cut in. Minato appeared beside Naruto, his expression relaxed. "It's been a while, old friend."

Gamabunta froze, his pipe clattering slightly against his teeth. "M-Minato?!" His deep voice faltered as he stared in disbelief. "But… how? The Kyuubi killed you! You used the Reaper Death Seal! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"It's a long story," Minato admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Part of my consciousness was sealed into Naruto. Now, he's able to manifest me through a shadow clone. Call it an extended leave of absence from death."

Gamabunta's gaze darted from Minato to Kushina, who stood nearby with a warm smile, and then landed on Mito Uzumaki, watching the exchange with a serene amusement. His pipe nearly slipped from his mouth. "This doesn't make any sense," he muttered, his yellow eyes wide. "First Minato, then Kushina, and now Mito Uzumaki? She died long ago! What is going on here?" The toad chief had heard of an Uzumaki who helped to finally subdue the Shukaku, but to think, of all people, it was the late First Hokage's late wife!

Kushina waved at the stunned toad, her grin widening. "Guess we're just full of surprises."

Gamabunta took a long drag of his pipe as he appeared lost in thought. "And to think I poured some perfectly good alcohol into the Gama-ike lake thinking of you. Who's gonna pay for that, huh?"

"I'll make sure to treat you, Bunta. Don't worry." Minato smiled, while Naruto could be heard muttering 'cheapskate' under his breath.

Gamabunta's sharp gaze shifted back to the younger Uzumaki. "So, what's the deal with your brat?" he asked bluntly. "I can tell he's not normal. And if what Gamahiro said is true, he pulled off something downright impossible."

"I'll fill you in on everything," Minato promised. "But for now, I wanted to formally introduce you to my son. Will you help him in the future, as you've helped me countless times?"

"Hmm. That's all fine and good, but you know how it works, Minato," Gamabunta said, a hint of stubbornness in his voice. "Whether or not I help him depends entirely on him. He has to pass my test."

Minato smiled, unfazed. "I think he'll do great. Why don't we get that out of the way?" He stepped back beside Jiraiya, giving Naruto a confident thumbs up. "You've got this, Naruto. Just don't fall off, no matter what he tries."

Naruto smirked at the challenge. "Oh, so that's how it is, huh? Bring it on, boss toad!"

"I haven't got all day. Get on first," Gamabunta said, sounding impatient.

Naruto grinned and crouched low, using the Asura Path's muscle enhancement to boost his leap. With a powerful jump and a graceful midair flip, he landed squarely on Gamabunta's head.

"Not bad," Gamabunta grumbled, a begrudging note of approval in his voice. Few could manage such a leap, especially at Naruto's age.

Naruto sat down casually, arms crossed and completely at ease. "Finally! Time for a good nap."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "He's pushing it."

Jiraiya sighed, his gaze following the pair. "Unfortunately for Bunta, this kind of test is right up Naruto's alley. But for Naruto, ticking off the boss toad isn't the best way to start a partnership."

Gamabunta snorted and puffed on his pipe. "Nap? We'll see about that." Without warning, he launched into the air, twisting into a barrel roll. The sudden motion sent the world spinning, but Naruto remained unfazed, sitting serenely with his eyes closed and a grin that bordered on smugness.

"Well, there they go," Jiraiya said, shaking his head as Gamabunta dove and spun like a wild beast. The toad barreled through parts of the Senju compound, his massive frame bending smaller trees along the way.

"How long until he gives up?" Tsunade asked, amused but curious.

Jiraiya smirked knowingly. "Bunta? Not until sunset, or until he's out of chakra."

"So, you're really going to teach him the sage arts? Isn't that dangerous?" Tsunade asked, her brows furrowing. "I know the kid's got incredible potential, but I hope you're not rushing things. This isn't just some advanced ninjutsu we're talking about. One wrong judgement, and the nature chakra turns you to stone."

Jiraiya leaned back, his usual humor absent as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "To be honest, the Great Toad Sage summoned me shortly after the invasion. He wanted to meet the one who awakened the eyes of Samsara for the third time. He rambled about seeing an old friend in his dream and battling a rabbit-faced demon. I couldn't make much sense of it."

Minato's gaze sharpened at the word "rabbit." He leaned forward slightly. "How old is the Great Toad Sage, sensei?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Even he probably doesn't know anymore. But if Fukusaku-sama is over eight hundred years old, and Gamamaru was already an elder when Fukusaku was a kid, it's safe to say he's been around for at least a millennium. He has seen the sage of the six paths -this I know. If only his memory wasn't so awful, we might've had answers to a lot of questions by now."

"You can't really blame him," Tsunade pointed out. "A millennium of memories… can you imagine how hard it would be to keep track of anything after living that long? It's a miracle he remembers anything at all."

"I asked Fukusaku and Shima about it," Jiraiya added, his tone thoughtful. "They said they were too young to remember the old stories in detail. By the time they started to get curious, Gamamaru's memory had already started to fade. You've got to understand, the toads don't think like us. They've never been deeply involved in human affairs. To them, the history of shinobi is just a blip in the grand scheme of things. From what I gathered, Gamamaru left Mount Myoboku and ventured into the human world for some kind of emergency back then. Whatever it was, it must've been significant, but no one asked the right questions in time."

Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "If even the toads don't know much about it, I doubt Katsuyu will. The slugs are even less interested in human affairs. They've always been reclusive."

"That's what I figured too," Jiraiya said. "Still, the Uzumaki records might hold some answers. Mito's planning to take Naruto to Uzushiogakure soon. Maybe they'll find something there."

Tsunade's eyes flickered with interest. "Uzushiogakure, huh? I've only ever heard stories about it. It must've been incredible back in its prime. I'd love to go there someday, but…" She sighed, a hint of disappointment creeping into her voice. "I probably won't have the chance this time. The hospital needs me, especially after the mess caused by the invasion."

Jiraiya gave her a sympathetic look. "There'll be other chances. The place isn't going anywhere."


The evening sun dipped low, casting long shadows as an exhausted Gamabunta slumped against a massive tree. Naruto, still seated atop the toad boss, looked as comfortable as ever.

"I gotta hand it to ya, kid. You're one tough cookie," Gamabunta grumbled, his deep voice rumbling with a mix of respect and annoyance. "But I didn't feel an ounce of chakra keeping you there. What did you do?"

Naruto flashed a sly grin. "Let's just say it's a gift I have. If you agree to work with me, I'll tell you all about it."

Gamabunta sighed heavily, smoke curling from his pipe. "Alright, kid. You're more than what meets the eye, that's for sure. The toad clan and I agree to help you from here on out. Minato can fill you in on the tribute and the rest of the agreement. We'll talk later."

Before Naruto could reply, Gamabunta suddenly poofed out of existence, leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake. It was a last-ditch attempt to make Naruto fall, but he saw it coming. With a slight shift, Naruto activated his levitation ability and landed smoothly on the ground.

Jiraiya approached with an amused smirk. "I'll let you know once the elders call you. Congrats on gaining Bunta's respect, by the way."

"Thanks, Pervy Sage," Naruto said with a wide grin, waving as Jiraiya sauntered off. He shook his head, knowing exactly where his teacher was headed next.