Home Visit.
This was an entirely unfamiliar term.
At least, it was for Kitagawa Minamoto. After all, no one had ever conducted a home visit when he graduated.
He became a Jōnin and continued to slack off with Kakashi. His team only had two other members, and there was no need for home visits.
Besides, with Kakashi handling everything, Kitagawa Minamoto didn't need to expend much effort. Kakashi took care of it all.
This was precisely why he was happy to remain in his current squad and continue slacking off—Kakashi was just too versatile!
"So, why can't I do Sasuke's home visit instead?"
Kitagawa Minamoto grumbled. Sasuke's situation was relatively manageable; all he needed to do was dig up a grave to gather some materials for a summoning.
But Naruto's case was more troublesome. Kushina Uzumaki might not pose much of a challenge, but Naruto's father's soul was trapped in the belly of the Shinigami.
"It seems there are only two options: either conduct the home visit at the grave, or..."
Kitagawa Minamoto's gaze shifted to Naruto's stomach, which immediately made Naruto feel uneasy.
"What's wrong? What are you staring at?"
"Nothing, just thinking about something else."
Kitagawa Minamoto withdrew his gaze, pondering how to approach this matter.
Currently, his control over Chakra was so precise that he could effortlessly accomplish anything related to it.
"The only tricky part is what form I'll take in the mental world."
The last time he visited the Nine-Tails, he had directly transformed into an Ōtsutsuki form!
"I should be able to control it, but this matter will have to wait. After all..."
Raising his head, Kitagawa Minamoto noticed several ANBU appearing before him.
"Minamoto-san, the Hokage requests your presence in the Hokage's office."
The ANBU were polite as they addressed Kitagawa Minamoto.
"Understood, I'll head there now."
Kitagawa Minamoto nodded. Despite having been back for a while, he hadn't submitted any reports yet.
After all, last night's festivities made it impossible to report anything. Now was the perfect time.
However, he didn't forget about Naruto. After some thought, he turned to Naruto and Karin and said:
"Head back and plant the flowers for me. Don't overwater them, and wait for me at my place."
"Got it."
The blond and red-haired Uzumaki duo nodded in unison, and Kitagawa Minamoto turned to follow the ANBU.
Before long, they arrived outside the Hokage's office.
The ANBU discreetly left, and Kitagawa Minamoto entered the office.
"Minamoto, you're here."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrinkled face was filled with smiles. Beside him stood Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Additionally, there were two ANBU members standing with Tsunade.
"Hello, everyone."
Kitagawa Minamoto greeted them with a smile, and Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled.
"Minamoto, we wanted to hear about your recent actions—it's truly incredible."
"Indeed, I'm quite curious about some things."
Tobirama Senju nodded, standing beside Hashirama Senju, who had just dispelled his Transformation Technique.
"Did you use my brother's technique?"
"Yes, I did."
Kitagawa Minamoto knew exactly what they were curious about, so he simply nodded.
"With the First Hokage's research materials, mastering Wood Release wasn't too difficult, though the data was a bit disorganized..."
"..."
Not too difficult?
Disorganized data?
Kitagawa Minamoto's words left Hashirama and Tobirama speechless.
Tsunade, Hiruzen, and Koharu, however, remained calm.
After all, the First Hokage's research materials were indeed chaotic, and Kitagawa Minamoto had demonstrated mastery of Dust Release right in front of them.
"Minamoto, Wood Release is extraordinary. While others in Konohagakure can use it, their version..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice lowered, and Kitagawa Minamoto immediately understood the implication.
"Not powerful enough? That's not surprising. Their Wood Release likely lacks certain characteristics."
"Oh?"
Tobirama raised an eyebrow and turned to his brother.
"Did you use other techniques alongside Wood Release?"
"Uh, I don't think so?"
Hashirama scratched his head, genuinely unsure.
"Actually, the key lies in the application of Yang Release."
Kitagawa Minamoto began to fabricate an explanation.
He wasn't Hashirama and naturally didn't know all the details.
Moreover, his Wood Release came directly from the Divine Tree's Source, so he was even less familiar with conventional methods.
But that didn't stop him from making things up—he just needed an explanation that was hard for others to replicate.
"Yang Release?"
Tobirama's brow furrowed, while Hiruzen and the others looked intrigued. Tsunade seemed to have a moment of realization.
"You mean using Yang Release to enhance Wood Release?"
"Exactly. I've fought Obito Uchiha before and felt his Wood Release."
Kitagawa Minamoto nodded, casually shifting the blame onto Obito.
"He might not even realize it, but his Wood Release is accompanied by a trace of Yang Release power."
"Yang Release?"
Hashirama blinked, pondering the idea.
"So that's how it works?"
"I've also studied the tissue sample from Obito Uchiha. It does contain an indescribable Yang Release energy."
Tsunade chimed in, though her expression remained puzzled.
"But that energy is hard to control, and Yang Release is difficult to utilize in a tangible way. You..."
"Obito Uchiha seems to balance Yang Release with the Yin Release of his Sharingan."
Kitagawa Minamoto calmly threw Obito under the bus again, leaving everyone stunned.
"The Sharingan is Yin Release... balancing Hashirama's cells with it?"
This line of thought seemed intriguing.
"Personally, I find controlling Yang Release isn't as difficult as it's made out to be."
As the others pondered, Kitagawa Minamoto raised his hand, causing a unique golden Chakra to materialize in his palm.
"This is..."
The appearance of this Chakra caused everyone's eyes to widen.
They could sense the essence of life within it!
"Tangible Yang Release?"
Tobirama struggled to remain composed, and the others were even more astonished.
While Yang Release wasn't uncommon, manifesting it in such a tangible form was beyond their imagination!
Even secret techniques couldn't achieve this level of control...
"No wonder you independently developed Dust Release and mastered Wood Release."
After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.
"Your control over Chakra exceeds conventional understanding."
His words earned nods from everyone present.
Kitagawa Minamoto's mastery over Chakra was indeed terrifying.
He had developed Purple Electricity, a technique that pushed transformation and shape manipulation to their limits, right after graduating!
"Thank you for the compliment."
Kitagawa Minamoto smiled modestly but soon displayed a hint of regret.
"However, my use of Wood Release is still not very refined."
"Not refined?"
Hiruzen's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Exactly."
Kitagawa Minamoto nodded earnestly.
"It was my first time using it in battle, so my control wasn't precise."
"..."
"As a result, I had to go all out and use True Thousand Hands to resolve the fight."
"..."
Kitagawa Minamoto's words left everyone speechless, except Hashirama, who stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"That does... seem accurate."
"Just stop talking!"
Tobirama glared at his brother before turning back to Kitagawa Minamoto.
"Your Wood Release needs more practice. Although my brother is unreliable, he should be able to help you with this."
"Indeed, Minamoto, Wood Release is extraordinary. I think you should give it a proper try."
Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly changed the subject to prevent the brothers from arguing.
"By the way, since you and your team defeated Kumogakure, what are your thoughts on the aftermath?"
This question brought everyone's focus back to the matter at hand.
Kitagawa Minamoto was destined to become Hokage, so his opinions were particularly significant.
"Regarding the post-war distribution of benefits from Kumogakure?"
Kitagawa Minamoto's interest was piqued.
"We discussed this thoroughly during our journey to Kumogakure—Deidara, Terumi Mei, and I."
"Oh? What's your conclusion?"
"We unanimously agreed that Kumogakure must cede part of their mining zones to us!"
"..."
"Additionally, they must pay substantial war reparations and surrender all the secret techniques they've stolen!"
"..."
"And their mission quotas must be transferred to us—it benefits everyone."
"Hiss..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hashirama found the terms increasingly harsh.
While the earlier demands were somewhat reasonable, the latter ones were practically a death sentence for Kumogakure!
"Not bad. This sounds feasible."
Tobirama, however, nodded in approval and asked curiously:
"Do you have more specific plans?"
"Of course!"
Kitagawa Minamoto seemed to have found a kindred spirit and continued enthusiastically.
"Since they'll lose their mission quotas, why should they maintain such a large ninja force?"
"You want to reduce their ninja numbers?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others were shocked, while Tobirama's eyes lit up.
"Exactly. Without mission quotas, there's no need for so many ninjas. It prevents them from causing trouble and can even be leveraged!"
"Precisely!"
Kitagawa Minamoto nodded, his smile growing wider.
"Deidara suggested using the reduced ninjas for labor, but I think it's unnecessary. We should convert them directly into a security force."
"A security force? To drain their finances and create tensions with the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning?"
"Correct. We can also observe whether they break ninja world conventions to do something drastic, like..."
"Assassinate the Daimyō to secure funding. If they don't, they'll face poverty. If they do, it sets a precedent for other villages to follow suit."
Tobirama grew increasingly excited, while the others appeared deeply troubled.
Their plan was undoubtedly beneficial for Konohagakure but utterly ruthless toward Kumogakure.
Wasn't this going too far?
"This approach is too extreme. It'll only provoke greater resistance from Kumogakure..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated before voicing his concerns.
Kitagawa Minamoto, however, remained indifferent.
After some thought, he replied earnestly:
"While that may be true, as long as bread isn't sold for 500,000 ryo apiece, there shouldn't be any issues, right?"
"..."
"Oh, and we should ban their izakayas—that'll solve everything!"
"..."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~ The story isn't over...🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters? 🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world? ✍ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?✨patreon.com/GoldenLong