"They went to the ninja tools factory?"
"Yes."
"Hm… let them be. How's our side coming along?"
"We've finished producing one prototype."
"Good."
kid rose to his feet and made his way toward the Hokage's office.
Outside the door, a faint smirk appeared on his lips before he pushed it open and stepped inside.
"Hiruzen, we've successfully replicated one of the ninja tools."
"Oh? Which one?"
The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow in mild surprise and quietly wiped away the image that had been showing in his crystal ball.
kid handed over a blueprint.
Hiruzen looked it over—
It was a replica of the Mystical Peacock Blades.
"Heh. So this is your handiwork, is it? To refine Wind Release to this extent—seems you haven't been idle all these years."
"Naturally," kid replied coolly. "I may have my own methods, but as I've said before, everything I do is for Konoha."
"Is that so? To be honest, I've never quite agreed with your idea of 'Root,' especially after something I heard recently."
Hiruzen paused, then said slowly, "The root is the foundation of all things. Only with roots can the trunk and branches grow."
kid's brow twitched slightly.
"Root does not mean darkness," Hiruzen continued softly. "It represents what lies hidden beneath the earth—nurturing life unseen."
kid fell silent. After a long moment, he said in a weary tone, "I didn't come here to argue philosophy."
"How effective is the replica?"
"About seventy to eighty percent."
"That's already impressive. The craftsmen from the Artisan Ninja Village truly are exceptional."
Hiruzen sighed in admiration.
After so many years, their craftsmanship still stood among the best in the ninja world. The man named Seimei was indeed a talent.
kid nodded, then let out a cold chuckle. "Talented, yes—but thinking he can stand at the top of the shinobi world with mere tools? Foolish delusion."
Hiruzen said nothing, simply stroking the surface of the crystal ball.
"Was there something else?"
"You're watching Chiba and his team, aren't you?" kid asked evenly.
Hiruzen sighed silently.
Ever since that boy had learned about it, his crystal ball technique seemed to have become an open secret.
How troublesome.
He had originally intended to take that secret to the grave.
Still, he turned the orb around to face kid.
There was nothing about Chiba's current project that needed hiding—the matter of chakra-based ninja tools was something both of them had a stake in.
Both were working toward the same goal: to make Konoha stronger.
Within the crystal ball, Chiba's formation was already set up. Kakashi, Tsukikage Kaza, and Tenten stood at four corners, each holding a talisman inscribed with barrier seals.
At the center sat Kakashi's shadow clone.
"Let's begin."
Chiba formed seals with both hands.
The talismans they held acted as conduits, amplifying the absorption rate of the barrier—an adaptation of the Iron Wall Seal Formation.
Though originally a sealing art, its unique structure had given Chiba valuable insight, prompting this last-minute modification.
The four of them weaved hand signs in unison.
Moments later, streams of chakra flowed toward the center.
The shadow clone in the middle sat quietly, absorbing the influx.
After a while, it spoke: "My chakra reserves have increased by about thirty percent."
"Thirty? What about everyone's loss rate?"
Chiba frowned.
"About twenty," said Kakashi.
"Forty," replied Tenten and Tsukikage Kaza in turn.
Chiba nodded and reported his own—"Thirty."
But he wasn't telling the whole truth.
In reality, his own expenditure was closer to twenty percent—perhaps even less, considering his natural recovery.
That meant his net chakra reserves were about the same as Kakashi's.
"Still feels inefficient," Chiba muttered.
Between him and Kakashi alone, the total chakra invested already exceeded what the clone reaped by nearly ten percent. And that was before factoring in Tenten and Tsukikage Kaza's contribution.
The loss was too high.
"Chakra conversion and barrier maintenance always involve consumption," Kakashi said, surprisingly satisfied. "Getting results like this is already remarkable, Chiba—you're expecting perfection."
He thought for a moment, then added, "But sure, it can be optimized—always can."
"Oh, by the way," he said suddenly, "can the tool release chakra in reverse?"
"That's easy."
Chiba made a quick series of seals. The absorption barrier switched modes, and in an instant, chakra began flowing outward from the clone toward the four of them.
Once the return cycle was complete, the clone dispersed.
Kakashi pondered for a moment, then said, "There are two directions for optimization—one internal, one in the barrier system."
Chiba nodded.
The internal improvement would require the clone to actively guide the chakra absorption from within. Not too difficult.
"I'll think of a way," he said. "Maybe try nesting a secondary absorption barrier inside the main one—see whether the energy cost of maintaining it outweighs the chakra saved."
Kakashi blinked, then sighed.
He'd barely worked up the motivation to contribute ideas, only for this kid to leap ahead .
Too demoralizing.
"…All right," Kakashi said dryly. "Let's test it."
"Haha, that boy's always chasing perfection. But honestly, the results are already extraordinary."
The Third Hokage chuckled and closed the image in his crystal ball.
kid remained silent.
The success of his own division's Mystical Peacock Blades replica was encouraging—but compared to what Chiba had achieved, it suddenly felt hollow.
After all, his team had merely copied existing designs, while Chiba had taken known technology and created something new.
A completely new class of ninja tool—
One that could restore chakra.
Flawed as it might be, its potential was undeniable.
A tool capable of pooling chakra from multiple shinobi into one—such a thing could turn the tide of battle in an instant.
What a pity, kid thought, a flicker of heat and regret flashing in his eyes.
If Chiba had been born ten years earlier, the outcome of the last war might have been entirely different.
Once, he had believed Orochimaru to be the pinnacle of genius in research—convinced that any prodigy would eventually resemble him.
But now he saw that Chiba was a completely different kind of genius.
Orochimaru's ambition was inward and selfish.
Chiba, on the other hand—he hadn't yet shown a single fatal weakness.
A talent like this… that he could not claim for himself was one of life's greatest regrets.
With Hiruzen sitting across from him, kid kept his face calm, merely nodding and saying, "I'll send over the full report later."
"Very well."
The Third Hokage nodded gently.
kid left the office quietly, his expression unreadable—but Hiruzen, as his oldest friend, saw through him easily.
He drew from his pipe, exhaling a thin stream of smoke, and turned his gaze toward the village outside the window.
What, I wonder, is the root within that boy's heart?
"Third Hokage."
"Oh, Shikaku! Heh, I heard your son's been quite diligent lately—seems you're teaching him well."
"Hardly," Shikaku replied with a helpless smile. "He's only working hard because someone's been pushing him along."
He knew his own son too well. Shikamaru lacked ambition and drive—but now that he had Chiba to measure himself akidnst, at least he'd found some motivation.
In a way, he ought to thank Chiba for that.
Not that he would mention it to the Hokage.
So he only smiled and handed over a folder.
"These are from the Medical Department—one's the latest report on pathogen localization, the other's the progress on the cooperative medical technique."
"Let's see…"
Hiruzen took the files, skimmed a few pages, and his face broke into a delighted grin.
"They've already begun applying it in surgery? Excellent! Wonderful! Make sure it's taught to as many as possible—spread it throughout the village."
"Yes, sir!"
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
https://www.patreon.com/Mindsmithstudio