"...keep that jutsu a secret for a while."
Sarutobi stared in a daze at the destruction caused by his most beloved, original jutsu. He rubbed his chin, never imagining it could be improved to this terrifying extent.
"Yes, Sensei," Suzuki replied.
Meanwhile, Suzuki marveled at his newfound strength. This is definitely thanks to the other Suzukis, he thought. Through his "Manager" ability, he had assimilated jutsu, knowledge, and even business acumen from his alternate selves. He was already expanding his enterprises into material construction—utilizing wood, rock, and sand. If I can develop cement, I might just become the king of construction, too.
But he needed to take it slow. Moving too fast would attract unwanted attention, especially since he was still relatively weak.
Actually, he wasn't that weak anymore. His physical abilities had skyrocketed due to the influence of his alternate selves—specifically the Suzukis from the Arifureta and Tensura worlds, whose bodies had transcended mortal limits. Thanks to them, his chakra reserves had also dramatically increased.
Yet, Suzuki knew he wasn't invincible. No matter how strong those other versions of him were, the "Power Leveling" mechanism merely raised his baseline potential. Previously, his chakra reserves barely matched a standard Chunin's. While his Manager ability mitigated this by optimizing his chakra consumption to the absolute limit, it still prevented him from unleashing truly devastating jutsu.
Then again, incredible power didn't always require massive chakra reserves. Guy became one of the strongest shinobi with barely any ninjutsu, and Sasuke utilized natural lightning to drastically reduce the chakra cost of his ultimate technique, Kirin.
Because his potential had been unlocked, Suzuki believed that if he trained with everything he had, he could eventually reach the chakra levels of a Special Jonin, or even a full Jonin.
But what if he wanted more?
He knew that relying solely on conventional ninja training had hard limits. Even the Otsutsuki Clan had to travel across planets, planting God Trees to harvest Chakra Fruits for greater power. For Suzuki, however, the Manager ability allowed him to simulate and analyze everything from scratch.
"Hmm... it seems you have learned everything," Sarutobi mused. He knew his student was smart, but Suzuki's learning speed was unprecedented. As expected of my student. The elderly Hokage felt a renewed fire in his spirit. Teaching this boy made him want to live long enough to see just how strong Suzuki would become.
"It's all thanks to you, Sensei."
"If you didn't work hard and lacked natural talent, it would be impossible," Sarutobi replied, ruffling Suzuki's hair with a gentle smile. "Don't be too harsh on yourself. There are many geniuses out there, but you have immense potential—especially now that you've mastered my strongest jutsu."
Suzuki remained silent.
Sarutobi's "strongest jutsu" was the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique. While others dismissed it as a flashy way to throw extra weapons, Suzuki recognized its true, terrifying utility: the conceptual power of multiplication. By applying the technique to objects other than shuriken, Suzuki had birthed a highly dangerous new jutsu.
"What a shame..." Sarutobi sighed, surveying the cratered landscape.
"What is?" Suzuki looked at him in confusion.
"It's a shame I can't teach you more myself. I still have a mountain of paperwork waiting in my office." Sarutobi rubbed his temples at the thought.
"It's because of your hard work that the village is safe, Sensei." Suzuki felt the Hokage took on far too much. Why didn't he delegate the minor complaints—like missing cats—and focus purely on major issues like laws, economics, and diplomacy?
"Thank you." Sarutobi felt a sudden urge to cry. This boy understood him perfectly. Unlike the ruthless Second Hokage or the god-like First, Hiruzen's strength was different. He had to work tirelessly to maintain the fragile peace of the village.
"That said," Sarutobi continued, "do you want to learn under Tsunade?"
"Eh?" Suzuki blinked. "What do you mean, Sensei?"
"You'll just waste your time waiting for me to find a free moment. Tsunade, on the other hand, seems to have plenty of time to play around in gambling dens. You should go to her."
Suzuki stared at him, speechless.
"Alright then, that's your next mission."
"Wait, Sensei, what about my team?" Everything was moving so fast. He didn't mind learning from Tsunade, but what about his teammates?
"It's fine. You aren't with them twenty-four hours a day, and your team is on a break anyway, right?"
It was true. As a borderline workaholic, Suzuki had been aggressively taking on D-Rank village quests. Together with Hinata and Shino, they cleared missions at legendary speeds, raking in a fortune. They had also completed several C-Rank missions, hunting bandits or escorting merchants. Suzuki disliked those—they were time-consuming and paid poorly compared to the effort. Killing, while troubling for his modern soul, was the fastest way to earn money. Fortunately, their targets were usually human scum, which eased his conscience.
However, Suzuki knew that being a ninja wasn't sustainable long-term. Physical strength faded with age. That was why he focused heavily on business; controlling information and resources was the true path to wealth in this world.
"Don't focus too much on your businesses," Sarutobi sighed, affectionately patting Suzuki's head. He knew all his students had their quirks and obsessions. For this orphaned boy, it was money. "You aren't alone anymore. I am here."
"Sensei..." Suzuki looked at him, deeply moved, until—
"HIRUZEN, WHAT WAS THAT?!"
A loud voice shattered the moment. Danzo, accompanied by his usual retinue, marched onto the training field.
"What are you doing here? Didn't I order everyone to stay out of this training ground?" Sarutobi's eyes narrowed dangerously, causing Danzo's followers to stiffen.
"Of course I came!" Danzo snapped, persistent as ever. "That explosion was massive! How could I ignore something like that? What if something had happened to you?!"
"Nothing happened. I was simply testing a jutsu."
"A jutsu? What kind?" Danzo's curiosity burned. What could create such a blast? He waited eagerly for an answer.
"Do you honestly think I will tell you?"
Danzo scowled. "Hiruzen!"
"I am the Hokage, Danzo."
Danzo fell silent.
"You should mind your own business instead of sneaking around," Sarutobi said, shaking his head. He turned his back on his old rival. "Let's go, Suzuki."
"Yes, Sensei."
Danzo didn't even spare a glance at the boy. His eyes were glued to Sarutobi's back, fixated on the Hokage robes he coveted more than anything. He clenched his fists. That position should be mine!
If only he hadn't hesitated for that one crucial moment years ago, he would be the one wearing that hat.
Still, he wouldn't give up. He just needed to wait for the perfect moment to take back what was rightfully his.