Digestion

. . .

The memories faded as Lumian snapped back to reality.

While strolling through memory lane, he found himself once again at the training grounds.

But this time, he wasn't alone.

A group of people were scattered across the field, each engaged in their own strange activity.

One was dozing off, his head resting against a tree trunk.

Another was swinging a necklace back and forth in front of someone, hypnotist-style.

Yet another was pacing around with a stick in hand. Every few steps, he'd stop, set the stick on the ground, drop it, then pick it up and repeat the process.

Lumian grinned and approached the two who were interacting with each other.

"Hey, Amon-3 and Amon-4! How's the progress?"

Amon-3 gave a cheerful smile.

Amon-4 frowned. "Why are you calling us Amon-3 and Amon-4? Shouldn't it be Lumian-3 and Lumian-4?"

Lumian shrugged. "Eh, I dunno. It just sounds right."

He paused, lost in thought for a moment, then nodded.

"On second thought... yeah, you're probably right. Hello, Lumian-3 and Lumian-4!"

. . .

*

There wasn't much that Lumian could say other than the fact that he hadn't slacked off on his training for the month.

After countless attempts, failures, and late-night adjustments, he'd finally mastered the jutsu a few days ago. 

The moment he succeeded in stabilizing the first proper clone, he gave it a command:

"Divine something. Anything."

The clone had pulled out a pendant did a simple divination. 

The moment it finished, Lumian released the jutsu, causing the clone to dissipate in a puff of chakra and smoke.

And what do you know?

He felt his spirituality digest a fraction.

A small amount.... but when he could grind out many clones at once?

He was about to speedrun this potion.

Ever since that moment, his training ground had turned into a clone factory. Clones practicing divination, clones meditating, clones experimenting with small, mystical rituals.

Of Course, he didn't neglect his own acting as well. Sometimes, he would assist the clones with their own acting.

There were the other things he had to train in as well though. Namely, physical training with Gai that he had just done earlier, as well as Genjutsu training that he honed his skills with.

There were the small things as well: Shuriken training, Taijutsu training, and Geography.

. . .

Lumian's attention turned towards the other two clones.

He waved at them. "Yo! How's the progress!"

The clone holding the stick, looked back at him and waved it with his hands.

"Great! I feel like we can fully digest this bad boy in a week!"

"Good job, Lumian-2!" Lumian replied with a nod, before turning to the one lounging beneath the tree.

"What about you, Lumian-1?"

Lumian-1 cracked open one eye, clearly uninterested in moving.

"Yeah, yeah, what he said," he muttered, giving a lazy wave before letting his arm flop back down.

Lumian raised an eyebrow. "Slacker," he muttered with a sigh.

He looked up at the setting sun, its golden rays bleeding across the horizon like paint on a canvas. The shadows stretched long over the training grounds. The day was nearly done.

With a deep breath, Lumian performed a hand sign and dismissed all of his clones at once.

In that instant, a rush of sensations flooded him: memories, impressions, emotions.

A dozen performances, rituals, and divinations all slammed into his mind. He staggered slightly under the weight of it, clutching his head as the fog of numerous overlapping consciousnesses settled and dissolved.

Instantly he felt a wave of memories and experience enter him, as his spirituality grew and his mastery as a Seer grew even deeper. The colors that permeated the world from his eyes grew brighter.

"Damn that's a lot of acting that I got done.... I think I'm about 80-90% done now?"

He brought his hands down once he felt his consciousness settle.

"Just a little more... and I'll be ready for the next step."

- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- -- - - - - -- 

Thud.

The door of Lumian's apartment clicked shut behind him, muffling the bustle of the village outside.

In his hand, he carried a bag of groceries. In it was a prepackaged meal he'd picked up from a quiet little store on the way home. The plastic rustled faintly as he crossed living space to the table.

Lumian set the bag down on the table with a soft rustle, then flopped into his usual sitting spot with a tired grunt. He stretched his legs out, muscles still faintly sore from channeling too much chakra and spirituality. 

He took out a meal that resembled take-out boxes on earth.

Opening the container, he began to eat in silence, wooden chopsticks clinking softly against the plastic as he silently chewed. 

After he finished eating, he promptly wrapped the meal up with the plastic bag.

Then, letting out a long, weary sigh, he dragged himself off the floor and turned toward the couch.

But he stopped halfway.

His brow furrowed.

"…I need to go to the bathroom."

He turned around and shuffled toward the bathroom like a zombie.

The moment he reached the toilet and started relieving himself, a sigh of relief escaped him—but it froze halfway out of his throat.

He felt it.

Something cracked inside of him....

A warm feeling spread throughout his body and he felt his spirituality rise to an all-time high.

Although, it was an unfamiliar feeling for him, he knew instantly what had happened.

His Seer potion had fully digested.

"What the he-"

- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- -- - - - - -- - -

(Elsewhere)

?????: "It is an honor to meet you Lord Hokage." 

A man who with a burly beard had bowed in respect in front of the man wearing white robes.

Gong Pildu was currently in a room that was occupied with numerous people.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the prominent seating position of the Hokage, that allowed everyone to see him clearly.

Next to him, 3 people sat. 

Kohara Utatane.

Homura Mitokado.

Danzo Shimura.

Around them, sat the prominent leaders of each clan:

Shikaku Nara (Nara Clan)

Hiashi Hyuga (Hyuga Clan)

Shibi Aburama (Aburama Clan)

Inoichi Yamanaka (Yamanaka Clan)

Chouza Akimichi (Akimichi Clan)

Other clan leaders to be noted of Konoha were also present.

. . .

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded respectfully at Pildu's introduction, signaling the official commencement of the meeting.

Initial pleasantries were exchanged, followed by a precise review of basic logistics, strategic needs of the village, and financials of the village's economy.

Once those were concluded, Pildu stepped forward, cleared his throat, and began to outline the clauses under consideration.

"Lord Hokage and members of the council.... In these troubling times.... there is a need to defend oneselves from danger."

"As you all know, the Hidden Leaf Village stands as the largest and most influential of the Great Hidden Villages. Its strategic value and military reach make it both a target and a symbol....."

Pildu spread his arms wide to address the people in the room.

"My company of the Land of Iron, is aware of the tides of violence that are approaching, which is why I came here upon the orders of the Daimyo."

From her seat at the council's flank, Koharu Utatane clicked her tongue, unimpressed.

"If the Daimyo, values this contract as well, why is he not present among us today?"

Pildu responded with a deep, formal bow.

 "The Daimyo, is aware of the importance of this contract, which is why he sent me first to set the foundation of agreement before he formally meets with the council."

Homura Mitokado, seated beside her, raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"We are aware that your company has made deals with other villages as well.... Which is why we are reluctant to agree to the terms of your clause that you offered."

Pildu nodded. "I apologize on behalf of my company for having other deals... However, you should also know as a prominent financial Head such as yourself that business..... is business...."

A heavy silence followed as the council absorbed his words. Pildu's dismissal of the objection left the matter closed.

After a moment, Hiruzen cleared his throat and turned towards Danzo, who nodded and unrolled a prepared scroll bearing the Konoha's official crest.

. . .

Danzo spoke:

"We of the hidden Leaf Village, formerly order the company of the Land of Iron to supply us with:

- 75,000 Kunais.

- 150,000 Shurikens.

- 5,000 Scrolls.

- 7,000 tons of Iron.

Danzo looked up, his voice sharp.

"In terms of the agreement, the Hidden Leaf Village would pay an estimated price of 143,900,000 Ryo

. . .

(Author's note:

10 ryo = $1 U.S Dollar according to the Naruto wiki.

The Standard price of an iron kunai is about $9 in the market, making it about 90 ryo.

A shuriken is about 10 - 30 ryo making it about $1 - $3 in Naruto.

A scroll is about 6,000 - 45,000 ryo, making it about $2,550 per scroll.

A ton of Iron is about $90 - $100, making it about 900 or 1,000 ryo.

So..... I think $675,000 + $300,000 + $12,750,000 + $655,000????????

In total, if my calculations are correct (Which might be wrong....) it would be about: $14.39 million USD )

. . .

Upon hearing the agreement Pildu inclined his head again, hands folded at his front.

He smiled. "As a representative, I Gong Pildu agree to the prices tha-

*KABOOOM!!!!!*

A deafening explosion tore through the council chamber.

The wall facing the eastern corridor detonated inward, spraying chunks of stone, shards of wood, and plumes of dust across the room like a sandstorm made of shrapnel.

In a blur, every jonin and ANBU operative present immediately dropped into combat stances, chakra flaring in controlled surges.

Danzo stood with his arm half-raised.

Homura's fingers twitched toward a hidden seal tag.

Koharu had already flung a hand-sign barrier halfway across her seat.

But as the cloud of dust began to settle… their tension evaporated.

. . .

*Cough*

*Cough*

Pildu waved his hand over his mouth to wave the dust away.

"What in the Daimyo's name—"

?????: "Hey Old man! Why did you tell me to come today huh???? I told you that I already stepped down!"

The figure stepped into the center of the room as her sandals echoed across the room.

She was a fair-skinned woman with brown eyes and straight blonde hair that parts above her forehead. Her hair had shoulder-length bangs that framed her face and the rest reaches her lower back. On her forehead, a Diamond-mark was marked there.

She was dressed in a grey, kimono-style blouse that was covered by a Green jacket. She had tight pants that outlined her figure.

. . .

Tsunade Senju.

. . .

Hiruzen sighed as he rubbed his forehead.

"Tsunade… you know that you're the only direct descendant left of my sensei's brother..... As such, your voice still carries weight in the council, even if the Senju Clan no longer exists....."

Tsunade let out a scoff before yelling.

"Screw you! I told you I want nothing to do with this village anymore!"

?????: "Tsunade-Sensei!!!"

A little girl ran into the room as behind her were several guards who seemed to be knocked out.

Her body hadn't matured, but her oynx-shaped eyes held knowledge within them. She had shoulder-length black hair, and was dressed in a black Kimono.

. . .

Shizune

. . .

In the corner of the room a voice spoke out.

"Lady Tsunade! Although you are one of the Sannin, it is disrespectful for you to barge into the council room in such a manner!"

Tsunade had a vein sprout on her forehead as she looked at Hiashi Hyuga who had just spoken.

"Screw you, you white-eyed brat!!"

Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose again, exhaling the kind of sigh only the decades-long Hokage of the most chaotic village could muster.

"Tsunade... can you please sit down or leave??? We have an important meeting going on....."

"I'm leaving, alright!?" Tsunade huffed, throwing her hands up and stomping toward the gaping hole in the wall she had made. 

Her exit was almost complete, until she stopped mid-step.

Her sharp eyes narrowed as they turned toward the bearded man near the council table. He was still coughing, even though the dust had long settled.

"Tsunade-sensei?"

Shizune, who had just caught up to her, tilted her head curiously.

Tsunade didn't answer right away. Instead, she cast a glance back at Hiruzen.

. . .

"After this meeting is over… I want you to have that man examined."

She pointed, and all eyes followed to Gong Pildu, who blinked, caught completely off-guard.

"W-What?" he stammered.

Tsunade's expression had shifted from irritated to a professional medical Shinobi.

Tsunade finally added.

"There's an infection in his lungs. Likely caused by a bacterial buildup due to prolonged moisture exposure. The symptoms are already advanced, judging by the consistency of his cough.""It's not terminal," she added before turning. "But he'll need treatment soon, or it will be."

With that, she left the room.

She turned on her heel and strode out, her haori swaying behind her like a banner of authority. Shizune gave a quick bow and followed close behind.

. . .

Silence lingered.

Pildu stood frozen. He touched his chest instinctively, blinking.

"My… lungs?"

And then he remembered.

A month ago.

After he ran out the restaurant. The scammer boy that had bumped into him while he was seething on the road. The boy had called out to him.

"Old man," the boy had said, "You should see a doctor. Have those lungs looked at."

Pildu had thought that the boy was cursing him.

Now?

He was in shock.

. . .

Hiruzen watched Tsunade's retreating figure for a moment before turning his attention back to the bearded foreign representative.

Pildu still looked stunned, his brow furrowed in contemplation as his hand unconsciously hovered near his chest.

Without missing a beat, the Hokage leaned slightly toward the ANBU operative standing silently at his side.

"Have him escorted to the Medical Corps," Hiruzen instructed, voice low but firm. "I want a full diagnostic conducted under the supervision of the department head. Ensure he receives every necessary treatment."

The ANBU gave a subtle nod before disappearing with a flicker.

Pildu, shaken but regaining composure, straightened up. He dipped his head in a low, respectful bow.

"Thank you Lord Hokage."

- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - - -

Bathroom Lord lol.

As always leave a comment on the book and a review!

(There's currently only one review.... Me! lol)

Feel free to leave behind any suggestions or criticisms you may have with the story or my writing,

Thank you.... and POWER STONES!!!!!