The Long Day

As I made my way through the small village to the Hoshikage's residence, I noticed that the entire village was much more cheerful. Parents and their children were hanging decorations while the shinobi seemed to be in a jovial mood as well, cracking jokes and having their guards down completely. Some of the people who saw me waved and a few of the villagers even came up to me and offered their thanks.

After another hour of giving my pleasantries, I finally made it to the Hoshikage's residence. I was escorted inside two Genin. One was a young girl with brown hair and indigo eyes. Her face was covered in freckles and she introduced herself as Hokuto. The other was a young boy with dull purple hair and brown pupil-less eyes who introduced himself as Mizura. Apparently, these two Genin were the only ones on duty in the whole compound, as everyone else was celebrating their recovery.

Haku and I were met by Honoka as we entered and we made our way to the Hoshikage's office. Inside, we met Ginhoshi who welcomed us with a wide smile and open arms.

"Welcome young man! It is good to see you here. I know this might be rude, but have you completed your task?"

"Yes, Hoshikage-sama," I said as I removed three scrolls from my bag and presented them to him. "These three scrolls contain three jutsu I was able to create out of the [Mystereous Peacock Method]. One is a Genjutsu that replicates the mental side-effects of the technique. The other two are Ninjutsu. I upgraded the [Mystereous Peacock Method] into the [Mystereous Phoenix Method] and was able to completely remove all side effects from the training. Additionally, use of this method will slightly increase the user's chakra pool over time while training in the Star's radiation" I say.

The more I talk, the more surprised Ginhoshi becomes and the more shocked Hokuto and Mizura become. They had heard that I had provided medicine that made them recover from the side effects of the [Mysterious Peacock Method], but they didn't know I would be making the method safe to use in the future.

Ginhoshi was shaking while reading the [Mystereous Phoenix Method] Scroll and was on the verge of tears. "Wh-what is the last jutsu?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"The last technique is something I think your village can use as their very own Hiden technique, [Heaven's Aura]. It creates a protective layer of chakra around the user which can completely negate damage from low-level jutsu and projectiles. While in use, your shinobi should be completely immune to normal Kunai and Shuriken, though I would be careful about Paper Bombs. You won't die to them, but it will still hurt." I explain with a smile.

Honoka and Haku are shocked at my explanations. I was able to extract three A-ranked jutsu from one A-ranked faulty jutsu. Something like this is unheard of in the shinobi world, and if anyone ever told them this, they wouldn't believe it, yet there is the proof in Ginhosi's hands.

"He really is the Kandaihoshi" Hokuto said aloud.

"I'm sorry? I'm what?" I say as Haku, Honoka, and I turn to look at her.

"Legends say that the First Hoshikage predicted that the one who would lead Hoshigakure to prominence would be called the Kandaihoshi, or Generous Star. You have healed our sick and saved many lives yesterday. Today you have shown up and granted us the jutsu which can lead our people to become the Sixth Great Ninja Village!" Ginhoshi blurts out.

'This seems like it could be trouble. No one said anything about prophecies during the filler,' I think to myself. "No no. Thank you for your compliment, but I am simply doing what I can." I say, completely faking a benevolent nature. I might as well extract as much goodwill from this village as I can.

"""Kandaihoshi!""" They all yell. I can already tell this is going to be a pain.

...

...

...

It has been two weeks since we have arrived here. Every day, our team wakes up in the morning to an elaborate feast prepared for us by the villagers. After we eat, we begin a training regime with Honoka and Masami to prepare us for the coming war. We mostly practice our jutsu or coming up with new team combinations, though we all seem to be solo-style fighters, which really disheartened Honoka.

After training for a few days, the Hoshigakure shinobi were inspired, so now, all of them have been training ridiculously hard in the last few days to master the new [Mystereous Pheonix Method]. At first, they were slightly hesitant but since no one has collapsed or has gotten sick from their training, they became more motivated than ever before since they had nothing to fear anymore.

Honoka was able to leverage my savior status to get a large house built on the edge of town for anbu platoons to be based out of during wartime while serving as our luxury dwelling while we are here. It only took a week. I guess this is a testament to how grateful they were to me since it was as big as the Hoshikage's Residence and they built it in only a week.

Jugo and Haku have made ridiculous progress during our training. Haku has mastered her [Crystal Ice Mirrors] to the point that she is as fast in them as I am when using swift release. She even created an improved version that spans a much larger area. It is roughly 100 meters in diameter and she called it her [Crystal Ice Palace] because once she is inside of it, she is the Queen.

Haku was able to figure out how to use jutsu from each of her mirrors' reflections, all at the same time to bombard the target from all sides. This makes the technique practically impossible to survive getting trapped in. The only way I was able to escape was to FTG out of it, since even with swift release, I couldn't dodge all the dozens of jutsu all at the same time. The only real limitation is Haku's chakra since doing this obviously drains a ridiculous amount.

Jugo has finally mastered his [Demonic Sage Mode] to the point where he can use an improved version of [Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation]. He injects his nature chakra into the environment and is able to bend it to his will. He likes to create spiked pit-traps or to swallow a person up to their necks in mud using this technique. Additionally, he learned how to melt into the ground like Zetsu does while it is active, making it impossible to beat him when he uses it. Without destroying huge portions of the terrain to draw him out, once set-up, he is almost as deadly as Haku in her [Crytsal Ice Palace]. This is made even worse since, without a doujutsu, it is impossible to detect him, so even if using the above method, it isn't guaranteed to work and mostly relies on chance. He called his new ability [Nature Release: Field of Corpses] jutsu. The guy is a genius when it comes to coming up with new abilities, but his naming sense needs a little work.

After setting up a sealing array, Honoka and I finally implanted the summoning creatures I received at Summoning Island. I now have three back tattoos, each containing a summoning beast on the level of the Sannin's. On the downside, my back is now completely covered in tattoos. A purple one on my upper back for Nue, an orange one on my lower left back for Baku, and a green one on my lower right back for the Ultimate Summoning Beast. Unfortunately, the Ultimate Summoning Beast was in its chrysalis so I couldn't use it correctly, but Nue and Baku were more than happy to be summoned with me.

Honoka summoned a little panda bear sage to act as the translator between Baku and me when we hashed out our contract. From now on, every time I sleep, he will consume my dreams so I won't be able to dream anymore. It won't affect my rest at all, I just won't dream. That's fine with me. I usually forgot my dreams after waking up in my previous life anyway. I only remembered mine now since I have perfect memory with [Deva's Mind]. I am just going back to normal with Baku's contract.

Nue, on the other hand, just wanted chakra. A lot of chakra. I had to supply him with 10 times the amount of chakra than a normal summon, but on the flip side, the more chakra I gave him, the bigger and more powerful he became, so I was the one who won that exchange.

I lucked out heavily on these trades. I know that for Orochimaru to summon Manda, he had to sacrifice 1000 people to be his food, so in comparison, I was fine. Haku saw Honoka's Panda summon and squealed like I have never seen before. Long story short, Haku might be a Panda Sage one day.

Masami was surprised by our progress and decided to practice her techniques too. She was able to use her scorch release to rapidly dry anything she touched on contact, effectively making any taijutsu encounters with her fatal at the first exchange. Jugo found out the hard way when he tried to flirt - I mean train, with her. He couldn't beat her head-on, even with his [Demonic Sage Mode] active when she used her [Evaporating Fist] Taijutsu. Even when he used [Nature Release: Field of Corpses] jutsu, it was hard countered by scorch release because she simply dried the terrain and turned it into sand. While Jugo could control that sand, he couldn't use it to the same extent as Gaara, so all he could do was literally throw sand in her face and run away.

...

It was a fun few weeks, but all good things must come to an end. We were packing our things and I was marking several places around our new vacation home with both Minato's and my own FTG symbols. On the day we were supposed to leave, Rabbit, the Hoshi anbu, appeared before us with an urgent summons to a meeting with the Hoshikage in front of his home.

We ran through the village and saw that all of the villagers, who were normally cheerful, were tense and there were no shinobi around, only civilians. When we arrived at the Hoshikage's Residence, we spotted a large crowd of shinobi who had also gathered. After a moment of two, Ginhoshi walked out from the doors to make his announcement. The crowd was tense and many people were talking among themselves.

"Ninja of Hoshigakure! Hear me!" He said. "As of an hour ago, our anbu units have spotted a large group of Iwa Shinobi creating a staging area near the border to the Land of Bears just north of our village.

Among them is the son of the Tsuchikage, Kitsuchi, and the Jinchuriki of the Four Tails, Roshi. It is highly likely they are targeting our village." He said before he paused and allowed the magnitude of his words to set in.

A Jinchuriki, rumored to be a perfect jinchuriki as well, being so close to the village was a clear sign that a raid was coming. Not to mention that Kitsuchi was legendary among ninja. He would be ranked alongside someone like Kakashi as an S-ranked threat due to his use of the particle style and his natural talent for earth release which allowed him to use massive and wide-spread earth jutsu to devastate shinobi platoons. Everyone was slightly panicking at this knowledge. They had only just made the jump to their new jutsu and were now about to be placed on the front lines in a battlefield scenario against S-ranked threats.

Honoka looked down at me with a frown on her face. "Haruka. I want you to take Masami with you and return to the Leaf at once. Notify the Hokage that Iwa is planning to invade Hoshigakure and have him be ready to receive a large number of civilians. This mission just became S-ranked."

"Yes, Sensei. I will return once it is complete to begin moving them." I say. Over the course of the Five Years of training at the academy, I was able to ask Minato how he refined the chakra cost of [Flying Thunder God] and he gave me a few tips. I could now use it a few dozen times on targets of any size before running dry, but I was still quite far off from Minato who could use it hundreds of times in a second.

"Masami-san. It is time we returned. We will have to have you inform the Suna ambassador in Konoha at once." I say as I extend my hand. She looks at it before nodding to me.

Just before she reaches for it, she quickly spins around and grabs Jugo's face. She pulls it towards her own before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Don't die now. You still owe me that date" she says with a smile, leaving Haku, Honoka, and I extremely shocked.

'WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!?!' I shout in my mind. While Masami is giving her goodbyes to Jugo, I turn to Haku and also give her a kiss on the forehead. "Haku. I'll be back in a few hours. Be sure to stay alive during that time. Don't do anything stupid. I don't want to lose my cute girlfriend." I say as I hold both of her hands.

Haku is bright red right now and steam erupts from her head when I mention her as my girlfriend. I wanted to take things slow with her since I didn't really have any dating experience, but I decided to take a leap of faith and say what I truly meant at this moment. Screw death flags! I'll just have to overcome them!

I turn back to Masami and she takes my hand. It only takes a moment before we are standing in the living room of the Senju Compound once again. Teleportation is really anticlimactic in these circumstances.

"Oh? Welcome back." Tsunade said as she and Jiraiya were playing poker at the table. Even though I only take a glance at it, I can see Tsunade's stack of poker chips is much smaller than Jiraiya's. Tsunade looks at Masami for a moment before she starts to scratch her head.

"Another one? And I thought you weren't going to get any more women in your harem..." She sighed.

"Tsunade-sama it is an honor to meet you and excuse the rudeness but this is urgent. Iwa is planning an attack on Hoshigakure as we speak. Their attack will probably start in a few hours once they have rested at their staging grounds. The two of us must make it to the Hokage's office immediately". Masami burst out in a rush.

Tsunade and Jiraiya's faces immediately drain their light-hearted expressions and they become serious. Both of the Sannin as well as Shizune, who was holding Tonton on the couch, immediately stand up.

"This is bad. We should hurry. Hoshigakure is a small village and even with their unique abilities, it is unlikely they will be able to withstand a full raid by a Great Village on their own." Jiraiya states. He also has a troubled expression on his face as we all make for the door.

...

As we all sprint at full speed to the Hokage's Office, our flared chakra gets the anbu's attention and Sakumo is there to meet us in the lobby. He sees two Sannin and two shinobi who should be on a mission in the Land of Bears and immediately, he begins putting the pieces together.

"Is it an attack?"

"On Hoshigakure I'm afraid" Jiraiya states.

"I will get Lord Fourth immediately," Sakumo says as he turns to walk away before being stopped.

"That won't be necessary," Minato says as he walks into the room. He is flanked by Hiruzen and another anbu member. "One of our spies has just informed us that the Four-Tails Jinchuriki and one of the Tsuchikage's children have left Iwa. They weren't able to get a destination, but since Haruka-kun is here, I guess now we know."

"Lord Third, Lord Fourth," I say as I give a bow. "My team and I had completed our mission and were preparing to head back later today. Since Haku and Jugo are there, I can use [Flying Thunder God] to reach them, but there are hundreds of civilians in Hoshigakure who won't be able to escape in time."

"Indeed. The village itself is almost completely surrounded by a ravine filled with poisonous gasses, so only a few routes are safe for civilian travel. Even then, with so many trying to leave at once, chaos is sure to erupt" Hiruzen added while stroking his beard.

Minato thinks to himself for a second before turning to Jiraiya. "Sensei. I know you just got back and are on vacation, but I need you to go to Hoshigakure with Haruka and a team of Jonin. I want you to aid in the evacuation and buy time in case of an attack. Lady Tsunade, I will be having Haruka-kun transporting civilians to Training Ground 4 using [Flying Thunder God]. It is mostly unused and has many wide-open spaces that refugees can gather in, plus it is nearby the hospital in case of injuries. Assemble a team of medical ninja along with your pupils and meet them there. I will take care of security.

Lord Third, you have connections all over the ninja world. If this attack succeeds, our allies in the smaller villages may begin to doubt Konoha's promise of mutual protection. I ask that you use your connections to ensure they don't fall into the orbit of Iwa or Kumo" Minato said, quickly giving out his orders.

"Indeed. Iwa caught us with our pants down on this one. I didn't expect them to attack before Haruka-kun's mission had completed" Jiraiya said. "If we have to fight against a perfect Jinchuriki without one of our own we will be at a massive disadvantage"

"Saya isn't ready yet as a Jinchuriki. Even if the Seven-Tails is more cooperative than the Nine-Tails, she hasn't completely earned its trust just yet. My wife also can't control the Nine-Tails yet due to factors outside her control, so we won't be able to send any Jinchuriki to assist you. I'm sorry" Minato says as he looks at him.

I'm pretty sure this is BS. I am aware that Saya isn't a perfect Jinchuriki yet, though she probably doesn't have to worry about Chōmei trying to break free if she asks for his power. Kushina, on the other hand, has tamed Kurama to the extent she can use the 6-tailed transformation without losing control. I know this because Naruto likes to brag about his mom a lot whenever we go into town for Ramen. Yup, he's a mother-con in this universe.

"I understand," Jiraiya says as he looks into Minato's eyes. I can tell Jiraiya wants to say something, but this isn't the place.

"Masami-san. I thank you for your assistance, but I believe you should inform the Suna diplomat immediately. Sunagakure may want to raise its alert status just in case this escalates" Minato continues, wanting to avoid Jiraiya's gaze.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Masami says as she turns to run to the Suna diplomat's room.

"This is going to be a long day..." Tsunade comments as we disperse.