Chapter 91: Anti-Flying Thunder God? (BONUS)

Lies don't hurt people. The truth is the sharpest knife.

The original story of a father driving someone away to help his daughter realize her dream had, under someone's provocation, turned into a full-blown confession scene.

Even on the way back to the royal palace, Kazahana Sōsetsu and Koyuki Kazahana were still reflecting on their actions. Seeing the little girl crying, Yami found it troublesome and quickly found an excuse to slip away.

But at night, Sōsetsu summoned him again.

This time, only the two of them were in the hall—there wasn't even a single guard.

Sōsetsu had prepared a large box filled with dozens of scrolls.

"Sir Yami, these are all the materials we have on Chakra Armor. However…"

He looked a bit troubled. "Three years ago, I halted the Chakra Armor project and sealed away all information. But the armor worn by Dotō and Nadare clearly surpasses the level of these records."

"So, I'd like to ask you two things."

"Go ahead." Yami didn't agree immediately.

Sōsetsu, who usually had a refined bearing, now had a ruthless glint in his eyes. "I want to issue you another S-rank mission—to eliminate all remaining Snow shinobi."

As a monarch, it's understandable to hesitate at times, but there was no lack of cold decisiveness in his bones.

Just from how he cast Dotō aside without hesitation, it was clear Sōsetsu had what it took to be a ruler.

His earlier attitude of letting bygones be bygones with the Snow Ninja was merely a temporary measure after the coup. Now that things were under control, there was no way he'd allow traitors to live freely.

"I accept," Yami nodded. "I'll also take the latest intel."

"Of course."

Sōsetsu said solemnly, "That's Sir Yami's spoils of war. Handle them as you see fit."

"The second request is… I hope you can do your best to keep the origin of the Chakra Armor a secret. At the very least, don't let the major nations know that we developed it."

His tone carried a hint of pleading.

If the origin of Chakra Armor were exposed, this land would never know peace again.

"…I'll do what I can."

These conditions weren't excessive, so Yami agreed.

As for Chakra Armor, he never intended to share it. He would take it back to Root for study and eventually equip his own squad.

After all, this was for his own people. He didn't plan on wearing it himself.

The armor was useless in high-level battles. The flaws were too glaring.

It only boosted attack and defense. Basic speed and strength remained the same.

Against powerful ninjutsu masters like the Raikage, himself, or someone like Hiruzen who had mastered Chakra Nature Transformation, this armor would only be a hindrance.

"Then I'll be relying on you, Sir Yami."

Sōsetsu smiled with relief. With Yami's promise, he could finally rest easy.

Yami returned to his room with the large box and casually flipped through the materials. He quickly grasped the operating principles of the Chakra Armor.

Its core component was a type of Chakra Metal.

Chakra Metal was a general term for metals with high Chakra conductivity, though each type had unique properties.

For example, the thunder meteorite that Kumo had compensated Konoha with was a type of Chakra Metal with lightning affinity.

The Land of Snow had discovered a Chakra Metal vein years ago, and their metal had the ability to absorb and store Chakra.

The Snow Ninja Village developed Chakra Armor based on this absorption property to enhance resistance against ninjutsu. The stored Chakra allowed users to pre-charge the armor and unleash it mid-battle.

The theory was simple, but the challenge was syncing the stored Chakra with the user's own Chakra in real-time, requiring a high level of Chakra control and training.

Yami believed the armor had room for improvement.

Though Snow Country's tech was decent, their ninjutsu foundation was weak.

The next day.

Yami traveled to Snow Ninja Village with Sōsetsu.

One went in. One came out. No one would be coming out ever again.

Dotō had already taken most of the elites, leaving only a handful of shinobi behind.

There was no right or wrong in the shinobi world—only positions.

They stood on the wrong side. This was the natural consequence.

When the last Snow shinobi fell, the system notification sounded.

[Host has reached maximum bond with Snow Ninja Village. Snow shinobi will no longer appear. Award: 1000 Bond Points.]

An unexpected bonus?

Yami raised his eyebrows but didn't pay much attention.

Just a thousand points. Nothing compared to his total gains from this mission.

With the rebellion, Koyuki's plans to travel the continent were put on hold. She would remain in the Land of Snow for now, helping her father stabilize the court.

Thus, Yami and his team had completed their mission.

"Lord Yami, can't you stay in the Land of Snow a little longer?" Koyuki was reluctant to part with him—and also with her little friend Uchiha Izumi and the gentle big sister Yugao.

"Koyuki, Sir Yami has important matters to handle."

Sōsetsu comforted her. "In the future, if you have time, you can visit the Land of Fire to see him."

"Will Lord Yami come back to the Land of Snow?" Koyuki looked at Yami hopefully.

"…Maybe." Yami wasn't sure. The trip was too long.

Even with Flying Thunder God, the vast ocean offered no place to leave a mark.

"You must remember me…"

Koyuki tearfully said goodbye, watching Yami and the others board the ship.

"Lord Yami, wait for me. I'll definitely find you."

Clutching the Chakra Refinement scroll in her hand, the young princess silently made a vow—once she grew stronger and could protect herself, she'd go to Konoha to find Yami.

Without Koyuki and Asama, their sea journey couldn't be sped up.

Once back on land, the trio traveled day and night and returned to Konoha within two days.

"Feels a bit weird. Going from a land of snow to this summer heat—it's like arriving in another world," Yugao sighed.

"It's not so bad. At least I don't have to wear thick layers."

Yami had already changed into summer clothes and felt much more relaxed. Though he had strong physical resistance to cold, it didn't mean he couldn't feel it.

The three headed straight to the Hokage building to turn in their mission.

Yami didn't report the mission rank upgrade. If he did, the Third Hokage would definitely question him. He submitted it as a regular B-rank escort.

Then he told Yugao and Izumi to head home while he went to Anbu to check on things.

He had been away for over two months. As Anbu captain, Yami needed to understand Konoha's recent situation.

Outside the base, Yami didn't sense Kurenai's Chakra, but he did find Kakashi's.

After a moment's thought, he followed it to a nearby training ground.

Kakashi was feeding his pack of dogs.

Yami didn't bother to conceal his presence, so Kakashi noticed him right away.

"Just came back from a mission?"

"Yeah, from the Land of Snow."

Yami waved at one of the dogs. "Pakkun, come here."

The little pug trotted over. Yami squatted and rubbed his head.

"Pakkun, has Kakashi been torturing you again?"

Kakashi had been trying to learn Flying Thunder God. The one suffering the most wasn't him, but his summoned ninja dogs.

Even with a whole pack, each dog was summoned multiple times a day. It was insane.

He was even feeding them premium dog food now, trying to make up for it.

"…That idiot," Pakkun made a disgusted dog-face. "He's been tormenting me so much I don't even have time to maintain my fur. He's not cut out for Flying Thunder God. Yami, please talk some sense into him."

"…Don't be so harsh."

Kakashi walked over, rubbing the back of his head. "I've made some progress, at least."

"Oh?" Yami's eyes gleamed with interest.

"Pick up Pakkun. Let our captain see how far you've come."

Kakashi rolled his visible eye.

This guy had constantly emphasized their rank difference since becoming his boss. It was annoying.

He never cared about fame or status before. But now… he was tempted to rise through the ranks, just so his name wouldn't always be beneath Yami's.

"Fine. I was planning to ask you for guidance when you got back. Might as well do it now."

He lifted his forehead protector, revealing the Sharingan. His aura changed from lazy to focused.

Yami watched with anticipation.

Since Kamui was a space-time jutsu, Kakashi might actually have potential to master Flying Thunder God.

If he succeeded, his reputation for drawing every battle to a draw would be unshakable.

Under Yami's gaze, Kakashi etched a Flying Thunder God mark onto a big tree.

Hmm?

Yami frowned. "Why is the formula so huge?"

The massive tree now had a wide area covered in black markings, about the size of a door.

"This is my first issue," Kakashi sighed. "I have no idea how you and the Fourth Hokage managed to shrink it down so much."

"Uh…"

Yami studied it, but each user's formula had unique Chakra traits, so he couldn't pinpoint the flaw right away.

"Go ahead and demonstrate. I'll look after."

"But no laughing." Kakashi warned, forming seals.

Rip!

The bark with the marking was torn off, and in the blink of an eye, it appeared in front of Kakashi.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

A flock of crows flew overhead, perfectly matching Yami's speechless mood.

Pakkun laughed so hard he twitched. The other dogs rolled on the ground howling in amusement.

"What is this, anti-Flying Thunder God?"

"No, it's more like Summoning Jutsu," Yami deadpanned. "Congrats. You've invented a one-time-use summoning that doesn't require a contract."

"Don't make fun of me. I'm already miserable enough…"

Kakashi's face was full of black lines. "I've definitely felt the spatial Chakra, but every time I try the jutsu, it just summons the object instead."

"The problem is probably in the formula."

Yami flattened out the bark and studied the seal. "Some parts are too similar to Summoning Jutsu. You should work on your Sealing Technique. Your level's way too low."

Kakashi's mouth twitched but didn't argue.

Yami had mastered Flying Thunder God. He had the qualifications to criticize.

"But this 'Reverse Flying Thunder God' technique of yours is interesting. With some refinement, it could become a real trump card. Keep at it."

Yami rolled up the bark, intending to study it later.

"Did anything happen in Anbu while I was gone?"

Since Kurenai wasn't present, he might as well ask Kakashi.

But unexpectedly, Kakashi hesitated before slowly shaking his head.

"The Third Unit is fine. Kurenai's a capable leader, and missions were allocated efficiently."

"What about the other units?" Yami asked again.

"…Yes."

Kakashi finally nodded and said quietly, "Shinnosuke-sama and Keiko-sama… were killed."

Yami paused while rolling up the bark, then calmly resumed.

"That's a big development…"

"Two Anbu captains, dead at once. Were they on the same mission?"

"Yes. When their bodies were sent back, the Third Hokage…"

Kakashi sighed and stopped.

Yami didn't ask further. He took the bark and left the training ground.

He didn't go home. Instead, he went straight to Root's base and found Danzō.

"Old man, tell me… Did Sarutobi Shinnosuke die?"

Danzō twitched when he saw Yami but nodded solemnly.

"You and I should lay low for now."

"This is when the old monkey is at his weakest and also the most dangerous."

(To be continued.)