Chapter 336: The Inspiring Story of The Fourth Hokage and His Hokage Assistant
"Everyone is doing really well," Kakashi scratched his white hair and said with a bitter smile.
He originally thought Guy was the only one who would stand out, but even Midori Inuzuka had prepared what seemed to be a formidable Werewolf transformation.
Ensui's development of Shadow Techniques was extravagant, with each move seemingly deadly, completely different from Kakashi's impression of Shadow Techniques. Shadow Techniques were supposed to be more of a supporting type.
"Alright, Kakashi, it's your turn now. Do you need some time to prepare?" Nagasawa looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi shook his head. "No need for that."
Since Ensui's techniques didn't cause much damage to the ground, Kakashi didn't have to use Earth Release to repair the ground. He just walked to an open space.
Kakashi quickly formed hand seals and used Raikiri. A dazzling blue lightning gathered in his right hand, and the lightning instantly transformed into a perfect blade of lightning, like a thunderous sword.
Then, Kakashi pumped more Chakra into it and imbuing the Raikiri with Color of Arms Haki.
The originally shimmering blue lightning now had black Color of Arms Haki covering it, creating a striking black-and-blue contrast.
Midori Inuzuka envied Kakashi's skill at this point. While theoretically, using Color of Arms Haki on Ninjutsu was possible, it was challenging to execute in practice.
It was nearly impossible to imbue most Ninjutsu with Color of Arms Haki. The one that was most feasible to incorporate Color of Arms Haki into was probably Nintaijutsu.
Lightning Release was inherently the Nature Type, whose Shape Transformation was hard, and imbuing it with Color of Arms Haki made it even more challenging.
At least, Midori Inuzuka couldn't do it at the moment. If she could, her strength would improve significantly.
If she were to combine Color of Arms Haki with Ninjutsu, she would have to apply Color of Arms Haki to her fingertips and then use them like spears. It might seem like she was using both Chakra and Haki, but in reality, they would be used separately.
"Armed Raikiri!" Kakashi exclaimed.
His blackish Raikiri struck a massive rock.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed as a bright white light flashed, shattering the rock into smaller fragments that scattered in all directions.
Watching this scene, Nagasawa was speechless.
He had deliberately moved that particular rock there because he enjoyed sitting on it while learning Sage Mode.
Kakashi, however, chose to crushed it to demonstrate his power.
Nagasawa was a bit exasperated by this and planned to move a rock over a hundred meters away next time and label it "Prohibited for Ninjutsu Practice."
But this incident also reminded Nagasawa of a crucial point. Now that Kakashi and the others had grown so strong, mere dummies and rocks clearly couldn't withstand their power.
Kakashi's Raikiri might not seem as flashy as Guy's techniques, but in terms of practicality, it was hard to say which was better. Raikiri might be able to pierce through defenses that Guy couldn't.
Nagasawa felt this was a challenging issue to resolve. If there were such sturdy materials, someone would have used them for armor or equipment already, and he hadn't heard of anything like that.
"I should talk to Orochimaru about this and see if he has any ideas," Nagasawa thought to himself, setting his thoughts about training equipment aside. He then continued to observe Kakashi.
After using Armed Raikiri, Kakashi formed hand seals again. Both of his hands simultaneously unleashed dazzling lightning, which quickly intertwined into the shape of a hound.
The hound made entirely of lightning was launched the moment it formed and charged towards a nearby tree, cutting it clean with a single swipe.
The lightning hound then exploded, leaving a scorched mark in its place.
Next, Kakashi demonstrated various other Lightning Release Techniques, such as using Raikiri with Kunai and Shuriken.
He could increase the number of Kunai using Lightning Releaseto cut off the enemy's escape route and then followed up with Kamui.
He even demonstrated combining two Raikiris with Shadow Clones, creating a laser-like attack.
"Not bad at all. You've put a lot of effort into your training," Nagasawa nodded in approval.
Though Kakashi's performance might not have been as flashy as Midori Inuzuka's Werewolf transformation or Ensui's versatile shadow clone, Kakashi's current techniques were already formidable. Just his Armed Raikiri had significant power.
Even a powerhouse like the Fourth Raikage would have to think twice before trying to block it with his body.
Based on his experience with Sage Mode, Nagasawa believed that if Kakashi and the others learned Sage Mode, their Color of Arms Haki could be enhanced with Senjutsu Chakra.
"Is Yurika healthy?" Nagasawa asked casually.
"She's healthy, but she seems quiet. She reminds me of myself when I was little. I think she'll be a quiet child in the future," Kakashi said, smiling when he mentioned his newborn child.
After having a child, Kakashi felt like his life had become meaningful.
Hearing Kakashi and Nagasawa discussing children, Midori Inuzuka suddenly felt out of place.
She's eighteen years old now, which can be considered quite grown-up among Shinobi with a relatively low life expectancy. It's time for her to think about marriage.
But Midori Inuzuka has never had a boyfriend, and she was still single to this day.
However, Midori didn't see anything wrong with that. She believed that having a boyfriend was unnecessary and would only hinder her training.
Midori Inuzuka was determined to become the strongest in the Inuzuka clan!
Ensui also felt a bit awkward because he has never had a girlfriend either.
He was a virgin through and through, and he found women to be a hassle.
Their unpredictable mood and the amount of time they wasted on meaningless things made them too much of a hassle for Ensui.
But why wasn't he bothered by Midori Inuzuka, you might wonder? Well, Ensui has never really seen her as a girl. She was just a teammate he went on missions with.
...
Because they need to teach Six Powers throughout the Anbu, Nagasawa held a small discussion with the Third Hokage and Minato at the Hokage Building.
Originally, there was no need for such a discussion, but since it involved the Anbu under the Third Hokage's command, it became necessary.
Unlike when he first became Hokage, Minato was no longer just a Hokage in name. After nearly two years of becoming Hokage, he now truly held most authority.
Roles were swapped between the Fourth Hokage Anbu and the Third Hokage Anbu, with the Fourth Hokage Anbu taking on more confidential missions and having many important privilleges.
Of course, even then, the Third Hokage Anbu still held a crucial position. The Fourth Hokage Anbu was established with the help of the Third Hokage Anbu, and it was only later after the Training Team was created that the situation changed.
Nagasawa had suggested merging the Third Hokage Anbu and Fourth Hokage Anbu that served the current Hokage, and it wasn't because Nagasawa had any intention or plan to abolish the Third Hokage Anbu's authority.
In reality, the Third Hokage was very cooperative with the transition of power, so it all went quite smoothly.
Most of the Shinobi Minato employed were still the Shinobi that the Third Hokage employed as well. After all, there are only so many Shinobi in Konoha, and even less of them were skilled.
Nagasawa simply felt that having two separate Anbu was troublesome. Everything had to be arranged separately, so why not merge them?
In fact, terms like "Third Hokage Anbu" or "Fourth Hokage Anbu" only existed within the Anbu. Most of Konoha Shinobi only knew that there was one Anbu.
Even when the Third Hokage Anbu or the Fourth Hokage Anbu went on missions, they would simply identify themselves as Anbu, not specifying which Anbu they belonged to.
Minato disagree with Nagasawa's proposal, not because he thought it was a bad idea, but because he felt that it couldn't be done immediately; it needed a process.
"Since it's a proposal to make Anbu stronger, I certainly won't refuse. Nagasawa, your Six Powers is indeed excellent and very suitable for Anbu."
The Third Hokage nodded in agreement with Nagasawa's idea of teaching the Six Powers to all Anbu.
When the Training Team were still under the Fourth Hokage Anbu's umbrella, they had conducted joint training with the Third Hokage Anbu.
The Third Hokage had seen the Six Powers through that joint training, and he believed it had great potential.
The Shinobi that joined the Training Team was also quite promising.
The three of them then discussed the specific implementation plan.
Anbu was an essential force in the village, and you couldn't simply have everyone learning the Six Powers as if they were going to school. How to learn, when to learn, and who should learn were all things that need careful consideration.
But because Nagasawa had prepared well, most of the issues were resolved in one discussion, and they could move on quickly.
Otherwise, discussing this alone could take several days to come up with a concrete plan.
When the discussion was over, it was almost time to get off work. Nagasawa and Minato left the Hokage Building together.
"Has Naruto tried practicing Sun Breathing?" Nagasawa asked.
"That thing's movements are too difficult. Naruto tried it, but he couldn't do them consistently. You gave it to him too early. You should have given it to him when he enrolled at the Academy." Minato replied with a smile
"Just consider it the way to train his memory," Nagasawa chuckled and was not surprised.
Even if Naruto is the reincarnation of Asura, it was not realistic to learn Sun Breathing in just seven months.
"Besides, it's not as early as you think. I think he could start practicing when he's three or four," Nagasawa corrected.
What he gave Naruto was not the whole Sun Breathing; but a part of its practice, like an incomplete version.
Without Nagasawa's guidance, this could easily be mistaken for some kind of physical exercise.
Nagasawa's goal was to lay the groundwork for Naruto, making his future training easier.
In the manga, Naruto had defeated Obito after he became Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki alongside Sasuke before the Sage of the Six Paths gave him Six Paths powers when he was only sixteen years old.
Considering how lacking Naruto's training was during his childhood, having Nagasawa as a teacher and starting from a young age could significantly accelerate his growth.
For example, breaking Kakashi's record as a Jonin, mastering Sun Breathing, or easily accessing the Nine-Tails' Chakra Mode and Six Paths Sage Mode by the age of twelve.
Nagasawa believed this had great potential. With this kind of training, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could defeat Kaguya with Sasuke without Nagasawa even having to step in.
When Kaguya was revived, she'll face an entire Konoha filled with Kage-level and above Shinobi!
By then, she might regret being revived and wish she had remained sealed.
"Three years old? It seems you are awfully confident in Naruto. Not even the Special Combat Division has managed to learn it?" Minato smiled. He was happy that his close friend valued his son that highly.
"That aside, aren't you going the wrong way? I'm pretty sure your house is the other way, right?" Minato reminded.
They didn't live together, and Nagasawa's house wasn't this way.
"No, I want to stop by for dinner at your house today and play with Naruto. I had promised him that I will tell him about the continuation of the story soon." Nagasawa explained.
"Is it the story about the First Hokage?" Minato asked.
Nagasawa nodded.
"Ah, so it was you who told him. A few days ago, Naruto kept pestering me about the story of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha's story when they were young, but I had no idea about it," Minato smiled embarrassedly.
"You can tell your own story, the story of the Fourth Hokage's endeavor from a common Shinobi to the village's Kage." Nagasawa teased.
"Then I might as well tell the story of the Hokage Assistant, a motivational tale of becoming the most renowned Hokage Assistant in the village within just a year," Minato retorted, refusing to be outdone.
Nagasawa gave him a thumbs-up, acknowledging the witty response. "You're a clever one, Minato. If Konoha ever needs a newspaper, we'll have you, Minato Namikaze, as our headline writer. Seriously, you've got the knack for it."
The two continued their friendly banter as they made their way to Minato's home.
"Welcome back, Minato. Oh, Nagasawa, you're here, too?" Kushina greeted them as she stood in the kitchen with a large spoon in hand.
"I'm just here for the food. Am I not welcome? Didn't I help you with your homework at the Academy?" Nagasawa joked with a grin.
"You're seriously gonna bring up something from over decades ago? Well, you're welcome, I guess," Kushina replied jokingly before returning to the kitchen.
Nagasawa's visits were not uncommon, and they were always welcomed by the Namikaze Family.