Chapter 37 Danzo: Would You Like to Change Your Stage?

Chapter 37: Danzo: Would You Like a Different Stage?

The next day, at the Hokage Building.

"Chiba, Kakashi has told me the specifics. You performed very well. It seems my decision to let you take on C-rank missions directly was the right one."

The Third Hokage beamed. There had been some internal resistance to letting Chiba’s team jump straight to C-rank, but the Third had pushed past the objections to make a special exception. Their performance had certainly made him look good. Their division of labor was orderly, and their coordination was precise. Such a squad had essentially reached the standard of an official team.

"I only did what I thought was necessary."

Chiba didn't feel his performance was anything special; after all, the enemies were merely ordinary samurai. The battle had been one-sided, and there was hardly any need for complex coordination.

"Haha, for a newcomer, having such a performance in your first battle is already quite remarkable. Well, are you here to exchange books today? Or is there something else?" The Third smiled and steered the conversation to business.

Chiba returned the three books and presented eight paper talismans along with a report.

"Lord Hokage, this is a jutsu I modified on the road. Once activated, it can maintain a sealing formation on its own for a short time. I believe it has certain practical value."

"Let me see." The Third took it.

Another jutsu? Even if it was just a modification, it was already impressive. Besides, the boy had only been studying sealing arts for about half a month, right? If you counted the time he spent on barrier techniques, he had only been seriously studying sealing arts for about ten days.

The Third was rendered silent for a few seconds. He examined the document closely, and his expression turned serious. This wasn't just a modification. The boy had essentially stripped down and created a brand-new barrier technique; this "modified" sealing formation was a product of fusion!

The Third’s eyes sharpened as he instantly grasped the core of it. He looked up in surprise, studying Chiba for a long moment before finally exhaling slowly. "Every time I think you’ve already reached your limit, you jump out and refresh my understanding of what you can do."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Of course." The Third chuckled.

If everyone in Konoha had such innovative talent, the ninja world would have been unified long ago. He wished there were more geniuses like Chiba. Unfortunately, such prodigies were rare—perhaps only one or two in an entire generation. The era of the Second Hokage, where every village had such geniuses, was truly an anomaly.

As Chiba had suggested, this improved sealing formation was far more practical. It could be used even by a single person, though the drawback was that the difficulty of execution had increased significantly. The Third estimated the difficulty of using it was near B-rank, while the difficulty of drawing the diagrams was around A+. There were very few easy techniques when it came to this kid.

But wait, why was there another page? He flipped to it: "On the Improvement of Chakra Threads."

Hmm? The Third was surprised, then felt a sense of relief. It was just a modification, not another new jutsu—it didn't strike his ego quite as hard.

After reading it, the Third nodded. "I understand your intent. You want everyone to try incorporating nature transformation into chakra threads to create new ninjutsu?"

"I don't have nature transformation, so I can't attempt it myself, but I feel it has the potential for further development," Chiba explained. "There is strength in numbers. I believe everyone should join in the ranks of innovation so that our village can continue to improve."

The Third praised him endlessly. "Your idea is very meaningful. Indeed, innovation is not a matter for one or two people; we should get more people involved."

"Yes, many people actually have ideas for techniques, but once they create them, they keep them to themselves like hidden treasures. Others don't know, which is a massive waste of resources," Chiba continued.

The Third nodded repeatedly, signaling for him to continue.

"I mean that the village should increase rewards for innovators to encourage everyone to share their knowledge. Of course, we must also guard against spies from other villages..." Chiba spoke eloquently. His goal wasn't really the rewards; he truly wanted people to share their knowledge rather than letting it rot in private collections.

"Regarding rewards and sharing knowledge, can you elaborate?" The Third tapped his desk. He felt Chiba was hinting at something specific.

"My idea is this, for your reference: just like the Scroll of Sealing, we could collect important innovative ninjutsu, and contributors could choose one technique from the collection to learn," Chiba suggested.

The Third laughed. The boy’s intentions were as clear as day, but he wasn't surprised; Chiba’s thirst for knowledge had always been front and center, never hidden. After thinking it over, he nodded. "Your proposal is excellent. I will make the arrangements."

Then, the Third felt a headache coming on. What should he give Chiba as a reward this time? He had already given him library access and sword technique notes. Now it seemed... the boy was missing a decent weapon.

"You don't seem to have a good weapon yet. I have some chakra metal in storage. Go back and think about what kind of weapon you need."

"Thank you so much!" Chiba’s eyes lit up. Chakra metal? That was a treasure! He rolled his eyes and asked, "Lord Hokage, how much is 'some'?"

"Not much. About enough for a blade the size of the one you have, I suppose," the Third said with a light cough.

"Lord Hokage, don't be so stingy. Give me a little more. My suggestions were so valuable; surely that deserves a reward? Besides, think of how much benefit I’ve created for the village!" Chiba pressed, trying to bargain.

The Third sighed. "What are you trying to forge? Even though there is a little extra, there really isn't much left."

"Ahem, my request isn't high. Just a blade like this, and if you could also help me forge a steel wire made from a chakra metal blend—the tougher, the better," Chiba said.

"Steel wire?"

"Yes, so it won't require too much material," Chiba added.

The Third nodded helplessly. "Fine, I'll add a steel wire. But that really is all!"

"Hehehe, thank you, Lord Hokage! As for my weapon, I'll think about it when I get back and send the design to you."

Chiba didn't know the first thing about weapon forging. Although he could learn, he felt it wasn't necessary since his team already had a weapons expert; he just needed to ask her to design it. However, he would need to think carefully about what kind of sword he wanted.

Playing with the notebook in his hand, he walked out of the building. He saw an elderly man with black hair, leaning on a cane and wrapped in bandages, walking slowly toward him.

Chiba narrowed his eyes. Shimura Danzo. The notorious troublemaker of Konoha.

He bowed slightly and stepped aside, letting Danzo pass first. Danzo stopped as he walked by and said, "Your talents are worth more than this. Would you like a bigger stage?"