Chapter 85: Diplomacy Has Failed: Deploy the Child

Chapter 85 - Diplomacy Has Failed: Deploy the Child {I KNOW, so I kindly request you all to shut up. I'll clear things out tomorrow, YES tomorrow too. SHUSH} {Alt title: Ren Takahashi vs. The Entire Forest Biome} The Rasenshuriken hit the jungle floor and detonated with a deep, rushing sound, like a sudden burst of wind tearing through the trees. The ground shook violently as the compressed chakra released all at once, sending dirt, leaves, and splinters in every direction. Nearby trees snapped and collapsed, some cut clean through, others torn apart as if shredded by invisible blades. A wide, circular patch of forest was flattened instantly. The grass was stripped away, and the soil dug out in deep spiraling grooves. For a moment, the jungle fell completely silent, the air thick with dust and the sharp tinge of chakra residue. Then came the groaning creak of half-snapped trunks tipping over, followed by the soft patter of leaves and debris falling from the sky like rain after a storm. In the center of it all was a scorched clearing, smooth-edged and perfectly round, undeniable evidence of just how precise and devastating the jutsu had been. Ren stood atop a high branch, steadying himself. The second everything returned to normal, he grabbed his right arm, wincing. Even without looking, he could tell it was broken. He quickly began working on it, channeling chakra into his palm and activating the Mystical Palm Technique to fix the fractures. 'It's not as bad as Naruto's injury, but the entire arm still gave out due to how dense the chakra was,' Ren thought, hissing as he aligned the bone. 'How the hell did that guy throw one of these overhead with one hand? Either he's not human, or I really need to bulk up.' As he finished healing, he looked down again. The ground was already changing. Hiruzen was calmly moving through the decimated clearing, forming seals with one hand, reshaping the land, flattening earth, replanting broken roots, and manipulating the ground to repair the structural damage. Ren squinted and finally noticed something else. There were thin seals glowing faintly in the air. 'That's a barrier,' he realized. 'A full Fuinjutsu array cast over the whole zone, and I didn't even notice when he set it up.' He clicked his tongue. 'So not only did he dodge the Rasenshuriken, but he also had time to place a suppressing seal to block out the sound and chakra signature from leaking. How fast is this old man?' A few seconds later, Hiruzen finished his repairs. He gave the cleared battlefield a long look, as if measuring the scale of destruction. Then, without a word, he appeared beside Ren. "Let's go." With that, he flickered away. Ren followed. When they reappeared, they were back in the Hokage's office. Hiruzen activated several hidden seals with a tap of his staff. Moments later, an ANBU appeared from the shadows, bowing slightly. "Fix the restricted area in the Forest of Death," Hiruzen ordered. The ANBU nodded and vanished instantly. Hiruzen sat down behind his desk, lit his pipe with a small spark of fire chakra, and took a puff, exhaling slowly as he looked at Ren, who had taken a seat with a silent nod of approval. "Earlier," Hiruzen began, "I was planning to commend you for surviving in the Forest that far in. I was honestly impressed. Then I decided, why not see your skills firsthand?" He let out a dry chuckle, smoke curling from his lips. "But color me surprised, you just dropped a nuke on this old man." He laughed again, this time more genuinely, then leaned forward slightly. "Well, now I'm curious. Why don't you explain how you were able to use that jutsu, and every other detail about it. Ah, and of course" he waved his pipe lazily, "this meeting won't be disadvantageous for you, I promise. Speak freely." Ren sat still for a moment, watching the old man. He understood perfectly well, normally, a request like that would be an insult. Asking about the details of someone's personal or signature jutsu, especially one of that level, was outright taboo in the shinobi world. But this wasn't just any jutsu. 'Rasenshuriken,' he thought, 'the jutsu the Fourth Hokage failed to complete, the jutsu only Naruto could master later, and even then, use it freely only because of how his body and chakra worked while in the sage mode. And now an eight-year-old Genin just tossed one into the dirt like a firecracker.' He sighed inwardly. But he didn't really mind. The Rasenshuriken wasn't something just anyone could use. Even if the Hokage knew every single step of how he made it, not many people could replicate it, especially not without Wind affinity, high chakra control, and the Rasengan base. And more importantly, he doubted Hiruzen would share the secret freely. The old man's offer of a reward only sweetened the deal. Ren began, "When Sensei was first teaching me Rasengan, he dropped a hint that the jutsu was incomplete for now." Hiruzen gave a small nod, showing he was listening. "So once I developed a high-level mastery over the Rasengan," Ren continued, "I began thinking that only an elemental transformation could complete a non-elemental jutsu. That's when I started experimenting by applying wind chakra to it." He raised his hand and formed a Rasengan with ease. "This was the first form." Wind chakra started to surround the spinning orb until it was completely wrapped, forming the Wind Style: Rasengan. Ren looked around, and Hiruzen pointed casually toward one of the reinforced walls of the office. Ren nodded and tossed the orb. It hit the wall with a compressed boom, leaving no noticeable impact due to the seals. "Using wind chakra, I was able to throw the Rasengan, which helped remove one of its original limitations, but even then, it didn't feel like that alone made it complete." Hiruzen didn't interrupt, only puffed lightly on his pipe. "So I started testing it again. Then one day, while I was practicing, I tried changing the chakra structure entirely. Instead of surrounding it with a film of wind, I reshaped the chakra itself, and that's when I stumbled upon the shuriken form." Hiruzen's eyes twitched slightly at the word 'stumbled'. He could tell it was a bit of a bluff, but he didn't press it. Ren was smart to not reveal everything, and Hiruzen appreciated the discretion. Ren continued, "Since I had the basic control down, with wind chakra mastery and good chakra control, I started working on it seriously. At first, I needed a shadow clone to maintain the wind nature while I focused on the Rasengan itself and shaped it, but after enough practice, I was able to handle the entire process myself." He paused, then added, "However, the technique still has a big flaw. It's very difficult to throw, even with my level of chakra control. At best, I can toss it forward, but it's not reliable enough to use in fast-paced combat. That's why I'm not using it openly yet." "I call it the Rasenshuriken" he said. Hiruzen stroked his beard thoughtfully as he assessed the name and asked, "The chakra cost?" Ren thought for a moment. "Roughly a fifth of my total reserves." The Hokage leaned back in his chair, analyzing everything with practiced ease. 'Even though he speaks casually about using shadow clones, it wouldn't be something he could train with only one or two clones. He must have used hundreds over time to practice and refine that shape transformation. This is also why Minato couldn't create this technique. Even if he used clones, he never had time for that level of refinement during the wars.' He glanced at Ren, who was now quietly inspecting the layered seals within the office. Normally, no one was allowed to analyze those seals. But Hiruzen didn't mind. In fact, he chuckled. "Well, new always surpasses the old. As it should." He looked back toward Ren and smiled. "Good work, young Ren. I doubt many in history could declare to have developed an S-rank jutsu at the age of eight." Ren scratched his cheek with a shy smile. "Thank you for the praise, Hokage-sama. But, can we not declare this to everyone just yet?" Hiruzen raised a brow in amusement. "Oh? And why not?" Ren gave a small shrug. "Well, as you said, I'm only eig- Nine." He corrected himself with a blink as he realized. "Today's October 10th, I just turned nine." Hiruzen's smile deepened. "I see. Happy birthday then." He paused, then his tone grew slightly serious. "I'm sure you know already, but let me give you a formal warning: don't use that jutsu if there are too many allies around. And unless you're absolutely sure it will hit, don't use it in open combat." He pointed a finger as if driving the point home. "Simply tossing it makes it far too easy to dodge. Until you learn how to throw it properly and safely, use it sparingly." Ren nodded quickly. "Yes, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen took another puff of his pipe and gave a small wave of dismissal. "That will be all for now. Don't worry, I'll keep my word. Come here tomorrow morning. I'll give you a reward worthy of that technique and a birthday gift as well." Ren stood and bowed slightly, smiling. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." He turned and walked out of the office. Once the door closed behind him, Hiruzen watched it for a moment, still smiling faintly. He waved his hand. Four ANBU appeared immediately. Still smiling, Hiruzen flexed his wrist. A kunai shot out from his sleeve, moving so fast it was little more than a blur. One of the ANBU collapsed instantly with a dull thud, a kunai embedded in his mask and skull. The others didn't flinch. They silently moved forward to clean up the body. Hiruzen exhaled slowly, looking out the window toward the village bathed in sunlight. "Sorry, old friend," he muttered to no one in particular. "It isn't yet time for the young one to face you." As Hiruzen muttered those words, he leaned back slightly and took another drag from his pipe, eyes resting on the trails of smoke rising to the ceiling. 'Even though the boy played it off like he just stumbled upon it and practiced hard, it shouldn't have been that simple.' He puffed again, thoughtful.'If it was really just as he described, then someone like Minato, sharp as he was, wouldn't have remained clueless.' Another drag. 'The boy is getting more and more interesting. First it was Fuinjutsu, then Medical Jutsu, he even improvised the First Gate. And now, he's created an S-rank jutsu.' His lips curled slightly, a rare expression of pride mixed with curiosity. 'Albeit its base was ready-made, but to build upon it and refine it the way he has, even I couldn't complete that step.' He exhaled slowly, then tapped ash into the tray on his desk as he pulled out a scroll and started writing some things. 'The Rasenshuriken, it should require an extremely high level of chakra control and not only that, the user must have an equally precise wind chakra mastery. Without both, one wouldn't even be able to begin forming that jutsu, much less complete it.' He leaned back into his chair. 'Danzo could probably learn it, but what would be the fun in that?' His grin deepened. 'Right now, that boy should be the second-best wind style user in the village, only behind Danzo. I doubt even Asuma could compare to him anymore. Asuma's chakra control was never his strong suit, and his style is too direct. No subtlety.' He took another long puff, the end of his pipe glowing faintly. Then, with a flick of his fingers, he waved his hand lightly. An ANBU agent appeared beside his desk, silent as a shadow. "Get me a list of missions related to the Land of Lightning," Hiruzen ordered, his tone casual, but he was already planning for the future. The ANBU vanished without a word. 'Danzo, Orochimaru, Minato and now Ren.' The names echoed in his mind. 'We don't produce many wind-style shinobi in Konoha. Yet, every generation, we somehow end up with the best wind-style user of that era.' He looked out the window at the sun filtering through the trees of the village, smoke rising slowly from his pipe. 'It's going to be fun, messing with those two brats, A and Rasa.' With that thought, the Third Hokage leaned back into his chair, the smile on his face growing ever so slightly wider. {2nd Alt title: Project R.A.S.E.N: Restricted Annihilation System for Eliminating Nature} ~~~~~ {Casual Reminder, This Was an Experimental Jutsu, Not His Final Form} {Originally, I planned to make Hiruzen's inner monologue a bit darker, like him doubting everything and placing Ren under a little surveillance but, I think that didn't suit the overall tone of the fic that I have maintained till now. BUT, even if Hiruzen behaved good don't forget he has been the leader of a military village, for 3 decades. He can't be soft, also, just remember that he wrote something too.} {I know we might fall behind in the rankings due to irregular updates from now on, but I hope that if you remember the fic on the day of non-update, you guys donate some stones so that the story remains in the rankings atleast.}(Past me didn't know that the future me would update today) {Anyway, you know what else to do} {STONES!!!!!}