Chapter 151: This Kind of Jutsu Still Needs Testing?

"That's exactly it. But if Konohagakure, even with all those advantages, still ends up losing to Kumogakure one day... it would only mean the rot had long set in, down to its very core." Orochimaru let out a cold chuckle as he spoke. A Konoha like that… If it lost, then so be it. What did it have to do with him? Minato opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but the words caught in his throat. He had nothing to say. It was true… If they held such a massive advantage and still let Kumogakure turn the tables—then what was the point of preserving Konoha? "The Will of Fire sounds great and all—‘Where the leaves dance, the fire burns’—but likewise, when a decaying tree finally falls, it nourishes the seedlings that rise in its place. That’s how Konoha thrives again." Kyoichi said with a calm smile. Minato and Orochimaru were both stunned for a moment. That interpretation… was new. But when they thought about it, there was nothing wrong with it. The cycle of death and rebirth—that was the essence of the Will of Fire. “I give up—Kyoichi, that mouth of yours… it just keeps going, and somehow everything you say makes too much damn sense. Back in Kumogakure, I was ready to just toss the body and leave, and somehow you talked them into believing every word.” Minato couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “This is Verbal Jutsu. If you ever want to be a protagonist, you have to learn it.” Kyoichi quipped jokingly. Too bad Minato definitely wouldn’t get the reference—his son hadn’t even been born yet... “Verbal Jutsu? Haha, that’s actually pretty fitting.” Minato chuckled. He didn’t quite get why the ‘main character’ needed to learn it, but the phrase itself was oddly amusing. Orochimaru, meanwhile, fell into thought. He was still contemplating Kyoichi’s idea of a “grain war.” A completely new line of thinking. Until now... No one had ever thought to conduct warfare against enemy nations through such means—quietly, like a silent blade that killed without a sound. If it succeeded, perhaps it really could reduce the number of future wars. Orochimaru didn’t have any lofty dreams of peace. But if such a world were within reach, he wouldn’t mind dabbling in some research alongside his quest for immortality. He could barely suppress the urge to sit down and talk it all through with Kyoichi on the spot. Unfortunately, this was the border of the Land of Lightning. Though the Iwa-nin and Kiri-nin had already withdrawn, the Kumo-nin would soon reestablish their defensive lines. Getting caught wouldn’t be a huge issue, but it’d definitely disrupt their train of thought—not ideal for “academic” discussion. Orochimaru licked his lips, a little unable to restrain himself. In that moment, he almost wanted to go finish the job in Kumogakure on Kyoichi’s behalf. But the Eight-Tails and its jinchūriki were too close. If they sensed his chakra and figured out who’d released the beast back then, the already delicate relationship between Konoha and Kumogakure might fracture all over again. That thought made him want to ask how things were going with the Eight-Tails host. Then again… Kyoichi probably hadn’t met the jinchūriki yet, either. “Kyoichi-kun, are we waiting here?” “My shadow clone can last a good while, no need to worry. Let’s head back for now.” They’d been out long enough—if they didn’t return soon, Jiraiya was bound to get anxious. As the Kumogakure forces gradually restructured their defenses, the borderlands of the Land of Lightning were reclaimed under Kumo control. Kyoichi didn’t walk far before he saw Konoha ninja clearing the battlefield. After all, war always leaves casualties. But this time, Konoha had only been pursuing the enemy. The ones who fell were mostly part of the interception teams. When those failed, Orochimaru and Jiraiya had decisively pulled back, avoiding unnecessary losses. As a result... Konoha’s casualties in this battle were far fewer than Kumo’s. Kumo had truly suffered heavy losses. “Kumo took a serious hit this time. And with the Third Raikage dead, it’s unlikely they’ll start another war anytime soon.” Minato sighed. After war, came a brief peace. But once strength returned and national power recovered, each village would start making moves again. True peace couldn’t be achieved with just one or two wars. And yet... Each war claimed countless lives... As the one who inherited Jiraiya’s pacifist ideals, Minato couldn’t help but feel deeply conflicted at the sight. Kyoichi said nothing. Peace... What a distant dream. The ninja world was barely held together, always on the brink, riddled with petty nonsense. Unify the shinobi world? Short-term? Uchiha Madara was lurking in the shadows. Long-term? Ōtsutsuki Kaguya and her clan were out there. Even if all the villages banded together, they’d still be no match. Kyoichi sighed. Defeating the Third Raikage didn’t feel all that worth celebrating. He glanced at the system. Given all the smooth-talking he just did, there should’ve been some reward or reaction... Weird... “We’re almost at the camp,” Minato said after a moment of sensing. “Seems like Hokage-sama and the others are already here.” “Kyoichi-kun, I recommend you bring up that matter,” Orochimaru said with a faint smile. “Your technique will definitely get support from the village. With funding and help, your research will move much faster.” Searᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “Yeah… that makes sense. Besides, I’ve got a few other ideas too—but we can talk about that back in the village.” Kyoichi left it there, clearly not planning to elaborate. Orochimaru was curious. Other ideas? What ideas? He tilted his head slightly, waiting—but the guy clearly had zero intention of continuing. Orochimaru stared for a few seconds, silently exasperated. Half-talking like this… back in the day, that would’ve earned him a beating! Not that he was more patient now. It’s just… Kyoichi could now go head-to-head with the Third Raikage. In terms of combat power... He didn’t think he’d win. The camp had expanded significantly. Many ninja from the western front had come to support the eastern side, only to find the war already over. Their only task now was cleaning up the battlefield. Understandably, many of them were a bit miffed. But… The moment they saw Kyoichi and the others return, they immediately straightened up and saluted, forgetting all their frustrations. Victory trumped everything. The three of them headed straight for the Third Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi had only just arrived. Inside the camp, he and Jiraiya were still sighing over the results. Clearly... The outcome wasn’t quite what they’d hoped for. “If the Third Raikage hadn’t used some sort of teleportation jutsu to get to the front lines, we might’ve completed the trap and encircled them. Could’ve forced a surrender or two... shame.” “Not much we could’ve done. If we’d gone all in to intercept, the unit casualties would’ve doubled.” The Third Hokage and Jiraiya were speaking quietly when they sensed someone approaching and looked up. When they saw the three return, both Hiruzen and Jiraiya brightened, quickly getting up and walking over. “How’d it go?” “The Third Raikage is dead. Kyoichi and I delivered the body to Kumogakure—that’s what delayed us a bit.” Minato gave a quick summary of the events. Orochimaru quietly took a step back. “Well done, well done… Kyoichi, that was well done! Those few words of yours saved so many of our people! And after trade opens up, it’ll be a huge win for the Land of Fire!” Hiruzen and Jiraiya both nodded, joy written all over their faces. Konoha wasn’t afraid of war—but if there was blame to pass around, they’d pass it, especially when— This one really was Ōnoki’s to carry. “I just spoke the truth. By the way, the IOUs are all real. When the time comes to collect from Ōnoki, I’d like the village’s help. We already settled the final amount—twenty million. Not a single ryo less.” Kyoichi handed over the notes. Hiruzen accepted them and nodded, then thought about Kyoichi’s performance on the battlefield. The village was probably going to bleed a bit financially after this. Still… At least they won. They could squeeze a decent amount out of Ōnoki. Hiruzen was still mulling it over when Kyoichi added, “Hokage-sama, once I return, I’d like to begin research into Wood Release.” “No!” Hiruzen’s expression changed instantly. Behind him, Orochimaru gave a quiet chuckle. No surprise there. Battle over or not, the old man was still the same—never let people finish talking. Orochimaru stayed silent. Kyoichi’s “Verbal Jutsu” was strong enough on its own. He didn’t need to chime in. Sure enough… The next moment, Kyoichi clarified, “To be precise, I’m not aiming to replicate Hashirama-sama’s Wood Release. What I want to develop is a jutsu that accelerates the growth of crops and medicinal herbs.” “To accelerate crops and herbs?” Hiruzen and Jiraiya exchanged glances, quickly grasping what he meant. That kind of technique… While not easy, was nowhere near as difficult as true combat Wood Release. But... What was the point? Before they could ask, Kyoichi launched into his strategic pitch. Sell fast-growing food, take over and reshape the Land of Lightning’s markets, and seize economic control of the region. By the end, Hiruzen was dumbfounded. He could understand the basic concept—control the grain supply, and you control the narrative once war breaks out. But as Kyoichi continued, he realized they’d been thinking way too small. The room fell silent. No one spoke up first. Kyoichi just stood there, waiting for feedback. Finally… Orochimaru said, “Sensei, that’s the situation. I’ve thought it over—I believe it’s doable. And our village has done Wood Release research before. With that data, developing a non-combat version shouldn’t be too hard.” Hiruzen glanced at him. Past data, huh… Heh. Sure. It was probably the latest batch of data. Hiruzen didn’t want to call him out, but he also feared Orochimaru might use this as a chance to resume his past research. After some careful thought, he said, “If this technique truly can accelerate crop growth and maturation, then it’s worth pursuing. But I don't want to see those kinds of experiments happening again.” “You don’t need any of those experiments to research this kind of jutsu.” Kyoichi shook his head. With the theoretical framework of Ice Release and the detailed experimental data Orochimaru already had, what more research was needed? Of course... The most important thing was— Kyoichi knew exactly who could learn it. The descendants of the Senju clan! Take, for example, the Kazamatsuri family. Sure, even people like Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage had managed to learn and master techniques on the level of Kekkei Genkai through sheer effort. But without a doubt, those who inherited Kekkei Genkai by blood had a much easier time learning it compared to ordinary shinobi. Once he refined the jutsu and mastered it himself, he could try passing it on to villagers who carried Senju blood. “No matter how weak a Wood Release jutsu is, it’s still a Kekkei Genkai. It’s not something you can master easily. You’d better be prepared to spend ten, twenty years—maybe even longer. Don’t be impatient.” Hiruzen shook his head, slipping back into his usual lecturing tone. “Ahem. Sensei, maybe you didn’t know—this kid’s already been secretly working on Wood Release. He hasn’t fully developed it yet, but along the way, he accidentally created Ice Release.” Jiraiya chimed in, knowing full well that Hiruzen had been wondering. Kyoichi noticed the surprised look on the Third Hokage’s face and paused for a moment, scanning the others around him. Oh, for real? He thought someone had already told the Third. Turns out everyone had been covering for him—like real brothers… Even Gekkō Hayate and the others hadn’t said a word. Nice!