I realized now that the splash I had made as a genius was not as big as we had treated it. It was just us overpreparing for all possibilities. After all, one good performance does not a genius make. And I had no intention of making anymore name for myself. So I had been brushing up on my basics. No more. Now I needed an ambitious project. A really, really ambitious project.
The fight had shown me the gap between Chunin and Jonin. I would put that guy's Chakra at around 10000. His Physique at around 800.
They had told us in the canon that a Jonin was way stronger than Chunins or Special Jonins. But apparently, they forgot to say how much of a difference it was.
My cluster grenades could easily wipe out Chunins if they came close enough and were slow enough. But Jonins, I went through a rigorous testing phase. I couldn't even damage sensor Jonins. They were either too fast or too strong for Cluster Grenades. Now I needed a weapon or jutsu to protect myself against that level of threats. I first thought Jutsu. But I wanted to protect my clan, too. And as much as chakra control helped in it. We had nowhere near enough Chakra to pull off those insanely powerful jutsu.
I wanted a nuclear deterrent of my own. Like those Jutsu seals of the Uzumaki. They could seal in up to an A-rank Jutsu into tags. A Rasengan barrage was a good enough idea. But I did not know all those. And Yamigami said that it will take at least two decades of research to get those down. So I came up with a crazy idea. Bombs were dangerous because of what they burned and the shrapnel they threw out. If I can't change the manner of explosion and shrapnel, why not change the base fuel for it?
The SS. I had used SS to summon the Yami. I had used SS to fuel those flames. I use SS to grow. In a way, SS must be some sort of higher energy. The Yami gave his assent.
"Yes, it is a higher form of energy. But I have to warn you, Ren. I understand your idea. Those things bend reality. Believe you me, when they explode, it will be a blast worth remembering. And there are ways to make it happen after a few years of research. But it would be better for you to invest that into yourself. It will be better for your clan if an ultra-powered individual is watching over them instead of a few large bombs."
"Even if I become Overpowered, I will not be able to come to the aid of my people whenever I want. If I want the clan to grow safely, Yami, I need that deterrent. We research. And that is it."
He did not argue further.
I took Rina to Ichiraku Ramen. We didn't feel like eating. But her mother had told me she hadn't eaten anything since last night. I ordered four bowls of noodles. Two for us, and two for Raya and Hina from the Hasuha-Tai (The Lotus-Leaf Squad). Yes, I know the meaning of my name and what this implies. But apparently, some idiot gave them the idea of naming themselves after something cool, and Hina took it upon herself to name their squad and make sure that everyone knew it and followed it. They were on duty today
I started eating while Rina sat picking at her food with the chopsticks. The quiet shop was quite lively today. And the rowdy group of men nearby was getting on my nerves. I was just about to get up and smash the bowl on their heads when a voice cut in.
"You brats should maintain decorum here. I perfectly understand the energy of youth, and I share it with you. But youth that harms others is not youth at all. The guy in the green Jumpsuit launched into a passionate tirade, silencing the men."
In a few minutes, he had driven them out with his hugs and speeches. When they were gone. He nodded to me slightly, with a serious, respectful expression. Civilians didn't see or notice. But the other Shinobi knew from our clothes. And who knew? That the eternal Genin had a soft intellectual side to him, too. I nodded back to him.
------
Rina didn't eat much. But she ate half. I call that a win. I went back to her home to drop her off before returning to the clan. We had now moved. We still held the former properties in the slum area. I planned to convert them into an orphanage down the line. When I proposed that plan. The clan had agreed. They wanted to pass on what they had been given.
You won't believe how fast Ninjutsu-based construction works. They need no cranes, no machinery, no material transport. They bought and built as fast as we gave them money. They had built the workshop and the surrounding houses first. We hadn't earned enough for the other facilities, like the mansion. And the houses weren't all done. But we had enough now to move into a shared nature. Eventually, they will be single houses. But we moved before because the workshop was closer. It enhanced our productivity a lot.
And by the looks of it, the chaotic era was finally starting. The tired and broken high-ups finally had a bit of energy to spare. And they were using it. Danzo and Hiruzen were pushing for all Shinobi registration reform for the clans. From Haruto, I knew that in the medical department, Koharu was gearing up to formalize and institutionalize Tsunade's reforms during the second war.
The famous disappearance cases were starting to appear. Human subjects for Advisor Danzo and Sanin lord Orochimaru's experiments.
And there were rumors. About many things. But two caught the most of my attention. One was the return of Jiraya. The Toad Sage from the Three Sanin. They were saying that the Hokage had managed to convince him to come back. I knew he trained those Rain kids, Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan, for roughly a bit more than three years after the war in canon. So the timing matched.
And the other was the one defaming Sakumo. It wasn't too rough. Just saying that the White Fang does not follow protocols strictly. That infamous failed mission hadn't happened yet. But now enough time had passed after the war for the council to act against his reputation. He already had Hokage's half sleeves by the Daimyo. They didn't want to see him get the Hat.
Things were starting to heat up. And the storm that I was worried about. The events that made the canon were starting now.
Because there was one last piece of news I had received, I had asked around for the future main characters. Most of them weren't born yet. I did not find the Namikaze. But I did find a Namikaze.
The civilian family had just welcomed a sweet baby boy into their home. And they had named him Minato.