Chapter 38: Thunder God and Water Style

In the war room, a moment of silence fell after Hiruzen laid out the plan.

Koharu and Homura exchanged uneasy glances. The implication was clear—crossing Mito Uzumaki now could mean trouble later.

"Why hesitate?" Danzo sneered. "From the village's perspective, this is a strategic decision. We offered the Uzumaki clan refuge in Konoha, didn't we? It was Aminari Uzumaki who refused. So if they fall now, how is that our fault?"

He leaned forward, eyes sharp and cold.

"The other villages are moving in. Even if they strike, they'll send elite squads, not armies. It'll be fast, surgical. If we wait to respond, it'll be too late. What are we supposed to do—station large Konoha forces in the Land of Whirlpools and stay on alert forever? That's absurd!"

His disdain was palpable.

"To reject the protection of Konoha at such a time... fools. Fools who invite their own destruction. The only concern is that their fūinjutsu doesn't end up in the hands of other nations. If it does, they'll be raising jinchūriki even more dangerous than ours."

"True…" Homura muttered, reluctantly agreeing. "They chose their fate. There's only so much we can do."

"What if we sent a small elite force instead?" Hiruzen suggested, striking a balance. "ANBU and Root—on a training mission. I expect Lady Mito will send a Senju team as well. If we act together, it'll seem like we made an effort."

He paused.

"Whether we succeed or fail in saving the clan… it won't fall on us. Mito won't be able to accuse us of betrayal. What do you think?"

According to recent intel, four villages were poised to attack. At the very least, the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts must return to Konoha—not fall into enemy hands.

"Fine," Koharu agreed.

"I'm in," Homura nodded.

Danzo hesitated briefly, but the mention of Senju elites lit a calculating fire in his eyes.

"Then it's settled."

Elsewhere, in Hikari's residence...

After returning home, Hikari opened a scroll pouch and handed the collection to Gin and Mikoto.

"These are the ninjutsu and fūinjutsu from the agreement with Mito. Choose what you want to study."

"Thank you!" Gin grinned as he eagerly unrolled the Flying Thunder God scroll. After just a glance, his smile faded.

"…This is gonna take a while. The base requirement in fūinjutsu alone is intense. I'll need to master the sealing arts before even thinking about this."

He carefully set the Thunder God scroll aside and unfurled a massive scroll filled with intricate fūinjutsu diagrams and formulas.

"I'll start by memorizing everything. Then begin hands-on practice."

Mikoto, curious, leaned in. "Aunt Hikari, can I study too?"

"Of course!" Hikari smiled warmly. "You call me 'Aunt' and joined Gin's path—there's no going back now. I expect you to grow stronger and help him. But take it slow at first. Pick just a few techniques that truly interest you. Focus beats quantity."

"Got it!" Mikoto beamed, selecting the Flying Thunder God scroll, but her expression darkened after a moment.

"…Yeah, no. This is too hard for me right now. I'll start with basic fūinjutsu instead."

She knew she didn't possess the Water Release nature, so diving into Water Style techniques would be a waste—for now.

"Smart choice," Hikari said, taking a look herself. "This technique really is monstrous. No wonder Tobirama pulled it off—his creativity with ninjutsu was unmatched."

She set the scroll aside and picked up another—one filled with advanced Water Release techniques.

"I'll need to study some of these too. In the pirate world, water-based combat can be critical. Especially against those who rely on Devil Fruits—these techniques may be unexpectedly effective."

"Oh? Should I learn Water Release too?" Mikoto asked.

"Not yet," Hikari said, shaking her head. "You don't have the nature affinity. Focus on Fire, Lightning, and fūinjutsu for now. Between that, taijutsu, chakra control, and physical training—you'll be plenty busy. Master form transformation and nature change before adding more."

"Yes!" Mikoto nodded. That made perfect sense.

"And Gin?" Hikari turned to her son. "What's your next move?"

Gin didn't even look up from his scroll.

"First, we head to Gunkan Island to harvest dragon bones—I need them for the longevity medicine. Then we go to Cocoyasi Village and Fūsha Village to find talented children worth recruiting. And finally, we head to Shimotsuki Village for swordsmanship training."

He rolled up his scroll.

"I'll need to train chakra, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and kenjutsu. Plus, physical conditioning for vitality and health. And I'll keep up my digestive exercises after meals—two birds with one stone: improves strength and longevity."

Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Digestive gymnastics? Where'd you pick that up?"

"It works," Gin smirked. "Efficient and healthy."

"Well," Hikari laughed, "perfect timing. I just marked Loguetown on our world map yesterday. It's close to Gunkan Island, right?"

"Exactly," Gin said, nodding. "Just a day's sail from there."

"But honestly, flying would be better. It's a pain to unfold the map and sail to every island one by one. Mom, did you find a good flying tool yet?"

"Not yet," Hikari admitted. "But once we do—this journey will move a lot faster."

They both looked at the map again.

Dozens of small islands. Too many to cover by boat.

But with the right flight tool?

They could change the pace of this world.

And reshape its future.