Chapter 123: The Hokage's Kekkei Genkai
Throughout the journey to the Academy, Elder Genji had been turning a single
question over in his mind: Why?
Why would Hiruzen Sarutobi allow elite Mist prodigies to remain in the heart of
Konoha? Why would he agree to a lopsided intelligence exchange for such a low
price?
Was he trying to kidnap them?
Genji shook his head. Unlikely. Konoha had just decapitated the Grass Village.
Even with the moral high ground, the other Four Nations were on high alert.
Forcing foreign prodigies into the village would be a diplomatic disaster that
would outweigh any military gain.
In the Ninja World, every village had a blood feud with its neighbor, but they
all shared a common ambition: they coveted the Leaf's fertile soil and feared
the combined potential of the Senju and Uchiha.
In Genji's eyes, Hiruzen's "Pacifism" was merely a camouflage. Usually, when a
Great War starts, the first move is a global coalition to dog-pile on the Leaf.
If the Leaf survives the initial storm and the coalition cracks, only then does
the "every-man-for-himself" chaos begin.
I see it now, Genji thought, watching Hiruzen and Danzo walk ahead of him.
Konoha is rotting from within. The 'High Commission' is just Hiruzen trying to
buy loyalty he doesn't have. Danzo is clearly ready to strike. Hiruzen is using
us—foreign elite—as 'decoration' to make his village look stable while he fights
for his life.
Because he lived in a world where the Mizukage ruled through fear, Genji
couldn't comprehend a village that functioned on voluntary cooperation. He
mistook Konoha's prosperity for a desperate PR stunt.
"Listen up," Genji whispered to the Mist prodigies before they entered the
gates. "You are to stay here for one year. Your mission is simple: break their
students. Show them the weight of the Bloody Mist."
"Lord Mizukage expects results. If the Leaf's elite are too soft to handle you,
their reputation will crumble in the eyes of the Fire Daimyo. Make them regret
their hospitality."
Fuguki Suikazan, the massive wielder of the Samehada, snarled in agreement. "The
Mist doesn't need trash! If any of you lose a spar to a Leaf-brat, don't bother
coming home."
Fuguki shifted his weight, and the living sword on his back writhed, sensing the
bloodlust. Since the purges began, Fuguki had become the Mizukage's favorite
"Cleaner." His status was absolute—as long as he kept killing.
The Ninja Academy.
As the delegation entered, Genji found himself momentarily stunned.
How is this school so large?
The facilities were palatial. Training halls made of reinforced stone, high-tech
tactical rooms, and specialized libraries. Compared to the Mist's "survival
pits," this was a resort.
Hiruzen knows how to move gold, I'll give him that, Genji mused. The Land of
Fire is rich, but he's turned the village into a literal factory of luxury. Pity
it's all for show.
Genji noticed that the Academy students were... smiling.
It was offensive. There was no "awareness of death" in their eyes. No hunger. To
a veteran of the Warring States like Genji, a happy ninja was a weak ninja. He
was already planning to tell the Mizukage that Konoha was a "Fat Pig" waiting
for the butcher's knife.
He didn't know that these "happy" students had spent the morning being
psychologically dismantled by a teleporting blonde demon using lipstick. Or that
the "cool brother" in the back of the class was actually the Second Hokage in a
teenager's skin.
"Lord Hokage," Genji said with a brilliant, fake smile. "I've instructed my
students to be... gentle. I wouldn't want to embarrass the Principal on his own
grounds."
"Hmph. Don't worry about us, old-timer," Danzo snapped, playing his role
perfectly. "Just make sure your 'prodigies' can handle a real workout."
"Enough, Danzo," Hiruzen chided. "Gentlemen, please. Let the youth introduce
themselves."
The Mist four stepped forward.
"I am Kisame Hoshigaki," the boy with the shark-like features said, his voice
low and blunt. "I have large chakra reserves and I specialize in Water Style."
"I am a dual-Kekkei Genkai wielder," Mei Terumi said, offering a charming but
dangerous smile. "I possess the Boil Style and the Lava Style."
She wove a few signs and exhaled a small cloud of steam. The moment it hit the
floor tiles, the stone hissed and began to melt. Then, she spat a glob of
orange, viscous fluid that bubbled with corrosive heat.
"Incredible," Asuma noted, his eyes wide.
"I carry the Ice Style bloodline," a boy named Yuki said, bowing politely. With
a wave of his hand, a pillar of crystalline ice erupted from the floor, chilling
the air in the hall.
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened.
Wind and Water fusion... the lattice structure is grid-based, Arata thought, his
"System-enhanced" brain performing a real-time data capture of the Ice Style's
chakra signature. I can feel the ratio. It's a 1:1 balance at the point of
molecular solidification.
Finally, Nakamaro Kaguya stepped forward. He didn't bow. He reached into his own
shoulder and pulled out a jagged, white bone-spur.
"I am the Bone Pulse," he laughed, a manic glint in his eyes. "I want to see if
the Leaf has any blood worth tasting!"
He lunged toward Asuma, his speed surprising for his age.
THUD.
Before he could reach the Hokage's son, a shadow dropped from the rafters. En
Uchiha landed directly in Nakamaro's path, blowing a cloud of smoke from his
cigarette.
"Leaf Police protocol: unprovoked violence against a student is a class-A
felony."
En's Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun. He didn't strike; he simply caught Nakamaro's
gaze and flooded his mind with a recursive illusion of his own limbs being
severed by a water-blade.
The Kaguya boy collapsed to his knees, screaming in a silent, psychic agony.
Fuguki Suikazan gripped the Samehada. A three-tomoe veteran as a school guard?
Hiruzen's 'Resource Depth' is terrifying.
Genji stepped in, his face a mask of polite horror. "My apologies! The boy is...
enthusiastic! He was merely trying to show his 'style'!"
Hiruzen laughed, waving it off. "It's fine, Genji. We're all shinobi here. But
perhaps we should focus on something more... constructive."
"The students have been training hard lately. I think they deserve a break."
Hiruzen walked into the center of the training yard. He looked at the Ice Style
pillar Yuki had created.
"Ice Style is a beautiful art," Hiruzen mused. "It's a shame the children in the
Land of Fire only get to see it during the winter."
"What are you implying, Lord Hokage?" Genji asked, his brow furrowing.
"I'm saying... let's give them a 'Winter' in the middle of spring."
Hiruzen took a deep breath. He didn't weave forty-four signs. He didn't even
weave six. He simply pressed his palms together, his chakra flaring into a
brilliant, translucent blue.
"Ice Style: Glacial Paradise!"
A wave of intense, numbing cold erupted from Hiruzen. In a split second, the
entire training field—nearly a hundred yards of scorched dirt—was covered in a
thick, shimmering layer of ice.
Hiruzen raised his hands.
The ice groaned and shifted. Massive slides, crystalline arches, and an
intricate frozen labyrinth erupted from the ground, each piece etched with the
Konoha leaf.
It was a literal Ice Theme Park, created in seconds.
Genji's jaw hit the floor. Danzo stared, his eyes wide with shock.
Even Tobirama (Seisui) froze, his Sharingan spinning frantically.
Saru... when the hell did you learn Ice Style?!
That's a Kekkei Genkai! You weren't born with that!
Hiruzen turned to the stunned Academy kids, his boisterous grin returning.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Go play! The first one to the top of the Slide
of Fire gets a coupon for free dango!"
The children erupted into cheers and sprinted toward the ice.
Hiruzen looked at the frozen Genji and Yuki. "Thank you for the inspiration,
young Yuki. I hope you enjoy your year in the Leaf. We're quite fond of
'innovation' here."
Arata smirked. Village Stat check: [Education] and [Prestige] just leveled up.
And I think I just gave the Mist delegation a permanent psychological scar.
☆☆☆
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