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Chapter 125: The Situation
Kitsuchi froze for a moment, scratching his head.
"Talent? It's certainly not bad. He has a massive chakra reserve, and his sensitivity to nature transformation is sharp, but..."
"But what?" Onoki interrupted, his eyes turning sharp. "You only saw him using Earth Clones to slack off and think he has a bad attitude?"
"Isn't that the case?" Kitsuchi asked back.
"Superficial!"
Onoki snorted coldly, his fingers tapping against the tabletop, making a rhythmic thudding sound.
"Kitsuchi, you're a Jonin. You should know the principle behind the 'Earth Clone'."
"An Earth Clone is a solid clone. Every clone's action requires the main body to allocate mental energy to control it."
"Usually, for a ninja to create one or two clones for combat or diversion, they've already reached the limit of their mental load."
Onoki extended two fingers and waved them in front of Kitsuchi.
"But that bastard brat split into over twenty in one breath!"
"And!"
Onoki emphasized his tone, a glint flashing in his eyes that was hard to detect.
"Those twenty-plus clones—some were massaging shoulders, some fanning air, some pouring water... Every clone's movements were completely different, and the chakra flow was extremely stable without the slightest disorder."
"Do you understand what this means?"
Kitsuchi's pupils contracted sharply upon hearing this.
Just now at the training ground, he had been too focused on being shocked by the lazy clones littering the ground to notice the technical difficulty behind it.
Controlling over twenty solid clones simultaneously to perform different precision tasks...
What kind of terrifying mental energy and chakra control did this require?
"This..." Kitsuchi sucked in a breath of cold air. "Even Elite Jonin in the village might not be able to achieve that kind of control."
"Exactly."
Onoki sighed, leaning back and sinking deep into his chair.
"That kid's brain works almost too well."
"What he calls 'slacking off' is actually a form of ultimate 'efficiency'."
"Using the minimum cost to exchange for the maximum comfort... this instinct is carved into his bones."
"If this 'efficiency' could be applied to combat..."
Onoki narrowed his eyes, the image of that obsidian-glasses-wearing youth with the wretched smile surfacing in his mind.
"He would be the sharpest blade of the Hidden Stone Village."
Kitsuchi fell silent.
He hadn't expected his father's evaluation of that lazy boy to be so high.
"But, Father..."
Kitsuchi looked at Onoki's wrinkled face, his tone tinged with worry.
"Even if he is a genius, won't this method of pulling up seedlings to help them grow backfire?"
"The current situation is tense, but has it reached the point where we need to push a twelve-year-old child to a dead end?"
Upon hearing this, Onoki's face instantly darkened.
The atmosphere in the room abruptly became oppressive.
Onoki slowly floated up, drifting toward the huge map of the Ninja World hanging on the wall.
With his back facing Kitsuchi, his withered finger traced across the map.
The fingertip started from Iwagakure, crossed the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain, and finally stopped heavily on the area covered in fiery red markings.
Konohagakure.
"Kitsuchi..."
Onoki's voice sounded old and hoarse, revealing a deep exhaustion.
"Do you think we still have time?"
Kitsuchi opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
Onoki turned around, his gaze torch-like, staring dead at his son.
"Look at this map."
"Those barbarians in Kumogakure are restless at the border. The newly appointed Third Raikage is an out-and-out monster, acting even more domineeringly than his father."
"The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure is in his prime. His Magnet Release: Iron Sand is unrivaled; he's practically a moving fortress on the battlefield."
"Not to mention Amegakure sandwiched in the middle. Hanzo of the Salamander relies on his salamander's deadly poison to bite anyone he pleases, churning the entire continent into unrest."
"And Konoha..."
Onoki gritted his teeth, a trace of apprehension flashing in his eyes.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the 'Hero of Shinobi', is at his peak, shrewd and difficult to deal with. His three disciples—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru—have already made a name for themselves as the 'Sannin' on the battlefield. Each one is a thorny monster."
"In contrast, what about our Hidden Stone?"
Onoki's gaze fell on Kitsuchi, his eyes holding a complex mix of emotions.
It was disappointment, but also helplessness.
"Kitsuchi, you are strong. Your Earth Release mastery is among the best in the village."
"But..."
Onoki raised his hand, a transparent white halo condensing in his palm.
It was the "Kekkei Tota"—Dust Release—which surpassed Kekkei Genkai.
A terrifying power capable of decomposing all matter into a molecular state.
"You can't learn this."
Onoki's voice lowered, and the halo in his hand slowly dissipated.
"Dust Release requires extremely high chakra control and a profound understanding of nature transformation. That is talent; it's a gift from God."
"You don't have this talent."
Kitsuchi lowered his head, fists clenched tight.
It was the truth.
He had tried for thirty years and still couldn't touch the threshold of Dust Release.
"This old man is already old."
Onoki hammered his lower back, which made a crisp cracking sound.
"I don't know how many more years these old bones can hold on."
"If I don't cultivate a successor capable of deterring the Five Great Nations before I die..."
"The Hidden Stone Village will be torn to shreds by that pack of hungry wolves."
Onoki floated back to the desk, picking up the report on "Doi", his eyes becoming firm and cold.
"That brat named Doi... his talent is not beneath this old man's."
"In fact... beneath that lazy exterior, I saw a potential even more terrifying than my own."
"With a little polishing, he will be the best candidate for the next Tsuchikage."
Kitsuchi looked up at his father's hunched yet still upright back, having mixed feelings.
"Father, do you intend to..."
"Exactly."
Onoki slammed the report heavily onto the table, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"I'm going to stuff all my skills into that lazy ghost's brain!"
"Even if I have to use a whip or smash him with rocks, I will train him up for me!"
"We are in wartime right now!"
Onoki's voice rose steeply, carrying an unquestionable majesty.
"There is no time to let them sit peacefully in a classroom playing ninja games."
"Peace?"
The corner of the old man's mouth curled into a mocking arc.
"That sort of thing is won through fighting, not talking."
"I don't want to fight this war either."
"However, we cannot give Konoha any more chances to develop steadily."
Onoki's gaze penetrated the window, looking toward the distant south, as if seeing that prosperous village surrounded by forests.
"If this generation doesn't bleed, the next generation will bleed even more."
"I hope..."
Onoki took a deep breath, his voice becoming low and resolute.
"That war will end completely right here, with our generation!"
Looking at his father's aged face, the doubts regarding the training intensity in Kitsuchi's heart vanished instantly.
Replacing them was a heavy sense of responsibility.
This was a Kage.
Shouldering the lives of the entire village, seeking survival in the cracks, and seeking peace through blood.
"I understand, Lord Tsuchikage."
Kitsuchi straightened his back and spoke in a deep voice.
"I will personally keep an eye on that brat."
"Even if he cries and screams to go home, I won't let him come out of the earth."
Onoki nodded with satisfaction.
"That's the spirit."
"However..."
Onoki changed the subject, a strange expression suddenly appearing on his face.
"That kid probably won't cry."
"When I left just now, that bastard... actually fell asleep inside the earth."
Kitsuchi: "..."
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