Chapter 698 : Turbulent times... (Patreon)

Fujin answered nonchalantly, “658, including 3 Elite Jounins.”

Since they already knew that Fujin had eliminated 6 bases, both had expected such an answer. Even so, their smile widened. Hiruzen couldn't help but say, “You've done a great job, Fujin.”

Fujin nodded and continued, “I've no idea how many fell to the traps, though I suppose our spies should get that information easily once they arrange the funerals. I also sent a few Wind Clones around. I didn't task them with killing anyone and just sent them to create some disruptions. They should've started several hurricanes which will disrupt their internal trading for some time.”

Shikaku said, “That's good. It'll keep them busy with their internal matters for longer. Along with Eagle eliminating their spies, their losses exceed 700 ninjas even without considering the traps.

With such heavy blows to their elite ninjas and their intelligence network, Kumo will be unable to start a war for at least 3 to 4 years. The fourth Raikage will have no choice but to tone down his aggression.”

Ever since Minato's death and Orochimaru's betrayal, Kumogakure had always been on the lookout to find Konoha's weak spots. The Hyuga incident was just the start. They continued poking Konoha continuously since then, but Hiruzen had done an excellent job ensuring that Konoha wasn't caught in another scheme while giving Kumogakure a bloody nose once.

Even though Konoha's strength had recovered, Kumogakure always remained a major threat due to its aggressive nature. For the first time in over a decade, Konoha would be able to enjoy some peace. Of course, that was if they fended off Sunagakure and Orochimaru's scheme.

Fujin had the same thought. He nodded in agreement, but asked, “While it does cripple their military temporarily, aren't you afraid that the Raikage might do something drastic? He isn't exactly known for his calmness, is he? If Orochimaru extended an olive branch to him and he accepts, we could be in deep trouble.”

Shikaku chuckled and said, “You don't need to worry about that. He'll soon be buried in so much internal work that he wouldn't even be able to glance in our direction. I'm sure he would want revenge on us for this maneuver, but he is on thin ice. If he tries something and Kumogakure suffers once again, he'll have a very difficult time keeping his chair. Any alliance with Orochimaru has the potential of being backstabbed. The circumstances won't allow him to take this risk.”

Hiruzen agreed and added, “The Fourth Raikage's decisiveness is quite troublesome to deal with in difficult situations. Fortunately, your actions will ensure that Kumogakure won't allow him to be that decisive.

Of course, we'll keep an eye on them just in case they do something drastic. However, considering the pressure he'll face internally and even in their council, I don't think there's any reason to be worried.”

Hiruzen suddenly sighed and muttered, “It's a shame that we don't have any spies inside their council. If we did, I could have kept him occupied in Kumogakure's internal problems for at least a decade.”

His words immediately earned stares from Fujin and Shikaku. Both were slightly surprised at how miserable Hiruzen wanted to make Ay. Fujin couldn't help but wonder, ‘Is he still salty about the embarrassing loss he took during the Hyuga incident?’

Sensing their stares, Hiruzen shrugged and said, “Neither of you had the chance to see Sensei in action. What we've pulled this time is a child's play compared to what he did on a regular basis. Anyway, you've done a great job, Fujin. Take a good rest. We need you to be at your best during the final round of the Chunin Exam.”

He continued in a serious tone, “We'll be putting our focus back on Orochimaru and Sunagakure. Even though we've done plenty to deter them, I'm unable to understand Rasa and Orochimaru's thoughts due to how irrational they have been. They might still continue with their plans.

Whatever their plans are, we've to get through with minimal losses and come out on top. In addition, Kumogakure will use their losses to make other villages, especially Iwagakure, wary of us. We'll need to thwart their efforts and make other villages doubtful of Kumogakure's intentions. Onoki wouldn't act as long as we create some degree of doubt.”

Shikaku sighed in exhaustion while Fujin chuckled at his reaction. Needless to say, Shikaku would be the one responsible for that task. The trio discussed a few more things before letting Fujin leave.

Once the two of them were alone, Shikaku's expression became serious. He said, “His performance was just too good this time. From the structure of those bases, even wide-range Wind jutsus wouldn't be able to kill everyone with such efficiency and prevent everyone from sending messenger birds to Kumogakure.

When I made the plan, I expected him to annihilate just one base and then pick off a couple hundred more ninjas due to his summon's ability to fly at high speeds. However, he was able to completely annihilate 6 bases without alerting anyone. I wonder how he managed to do that.”

Hiruzen nodded and said, “Every ninja has his own secrets. Considering how careful he is, it isn't strange for him to have a few secret techniques. I suppose no one other than the dead can answer your question. Isn't that why you asked him to destroy the dead bodies instead of bringing them back?”

Hiruzen asked with a chuckle. Shikaku sighed and muttered, “This boy is too troublesome. He keeps his cards very close to his chest. As good as that is for a ninja, it makes my job much harder. If I had asked him to bring back the bodies so that we could read their memories, I'm afraid that he might not have performed to the best of his abilities to keep his secrets hidden.”

Hiruzen just chuckled in response. However, even though he didn't show it on his face, Hiruzen couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. After all, he had always helped out Fujin and hadn't held back from guiding him. The only place where he drew a line was darker forbidden jutsus that could lead Fujin on the same path as Orochimaru.

In return, Fujin hadn't shown the same trust in Hiruzen. However, even though he was disappointed, Hiruzen didn't mind it much. He was well aware of Fujin's personality and knew there wasn't much anyone could do about it. Not to mention, Fujin had already repaid his faith and efforts several times over.

Be it stopping Orochimaru twice, cutting down close to 700 Kumogakure ninjas or the massive wounds Fujin had repeatedly inflicted on other villages, Fujin had already contributed a lot to Konoha and taken a lot of pressure off Hiruzen's shoulders. And, he was still only 16! As long as he didn't go down the same route as Orochimaru, Hiruzen didn't mind Fujin keeping his abilities a secret.

Fujin returned to his house and stretched a bit as he thought, ‘After such intense battles, I'd like nothing more than to sleep. Unfortunately, there are still a couple of days for this soldier pill to run out. I suppose it is back to training…’

Fujin opened a scroll and began reading it once again. It was the scroll containing the Third Raikage's notes on Lightning Chakra Mode and Black Lightning. After reading it entirely, Fujin decided, ‘Both of these techniques will be a long-term process. I'll focus on them later. For now, I need to make improvements in my Lightning combat system and implement the ideas I got while fighting Darui and the rest…’

In an instant, several Shadow Clones appeared next to him before teleporting away instantly. All left Konoha and went to places where they could train Lightning jutsus without being disturbed or watched by anyone. As for Fujin, he entered the meditation room and began meditating to recover his chakra faster. He planned to stay there until Hiruzen called for him.

Even though there was no Great War, the world of ninjas was still quite turbulent. In Kumogakure, people were in a panic due to Akuro's stunts. Before they could recover, they learnt about the missing ninjas and the entire village became a mess! That mess would soon spread throughout the country like wildfire!

To the south of the Land of Lightning, the Land of Water was still engulfed by a civil war. Their battles were becoming increasingly tense.

A few thousand kilometers away, the Sunagakure ninjas were busy preparing for an assault on Konoha, while their higher-ups were still debating whether they should go forward with the plans or halt them for the time being.

To their north, even the higher-ups in Iwagakure were stressed out. In a matter of days, they lost contact with more than half of their intelligence network! They were busy checking what had happened in their neighboring countries for such a sudden change.

At the center of everything, Konoha looked stable as a monolith, seeming unbothered by everything happening around them. However, in the dark, the Anbu and the clans were preparing for another major war. As such, the entire ninja world was on a thin edge.

At such a time, a few birds were flying peacefully towards their targets, carrying terrifying news on their back. It was evening when a few of them reached the Land of Water and informed both factions about the events that took place inside Kumogakure. A few minutes later, a few birds reached Konoha. Sunagakure and Iwagakure were farther from Kumogakure, so they received the messenger birds a few hours later. The minor villages received them at varying hours as well.

Regardless of when they received the scrolls or which leader opened and read it, everyone's eyes widened in shock! Even Hiruzen was no exception as he muttered, “What in the hell?”

[A/N: This arc lasted a bit longer than I had envisioned. I underestimated the amount of complications such a mission would bring. It made writing quite difficult, which became the reason for the irregular schedule in the past few weeks as I frequently needed to change what I wrote down.

As I said earlier, I'll be taking a few days off now. Need some time to relax and take my mind off the book. Quite tired mentally and I feel that it also affects my writing, making me frequently doubt whether what I have written is up to the mark or not. Thankfully, your feedback and comments always help bring my confidence up. I also need to fix my sleep cycle, which has been as inconsistent as my release schedule in the past few weeks 😅

After the break, the schedule will go back to normal (around 16:00 GMT). The next chapter will cover reactions to Akuro's actions. Following that, we'll be moving ahead with the plot and the focus will be back on the situation with Orochimaru and Sunagakure.

I won't say anymore as I might spoil a few things, lol. However, be prepared for another round of craziness and several more surprises!

I'll restart writing from Sunday. I do have the following arc properly planned out and I'll also use this break to go over it once again, so hopefully, there shouldn't be any issues with the schedule in this arc. I'll also catch up on the sponsored chapters that I wasn't able to deliver after the break. I know there won't be any more chapters this week, but do have a pleasant week :)]