Konohagakure No Sato :
Konoha Hospital :
The Konoha Hospital was painted in the evening's orange glow. Up on the top floor, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy. The only exceptions to the grim silence were two little girls trying desperately to fight back the tears gathering in their eyes.
Everyone else was in a much more serious state. As veteran shinobi, losing control over their emotions was the last thing that should happen, but despite their training, seeing Naruto's condition had severely dampened the mood in the room.
Seeing everyone like that, Naruto decided to provide the "solution" he had thought of—in his own 'way' , of course.
"I think I know why my condition deteriorated so suddenly."
Tsunade's head snapped in Naruto's direction. She wasn't the only one; everyone else had the exact same reaction. Seeing that he finally had their full attention, Naruto continued.
"The reason I fainted wasn't because my body broke down suddenly, or because of extreme physical fatigue." He paused for a moment.
"...If I'm not wrong, it might have been because of the new jutsu I was trying to create—"
"And just what kind of jutsu was that?"
Hearing the eerily calm tone Tsunade used, Naruto started sweating as he sat in the air-conditioned ICU room on his soft mattress.
(....Calm down... no matter what happens... at least she will not kill me ) he thought.
Clenching his resolve, Naruto replied,
"It was a pure spiritual jutsu that—"
"YOU FOOL!"
Tsunade's thunderous voice suddenly echoed through the entire hospital, frightening birds, bugs, and shinobi alike.
"PURE SPIRITUAL JUTSU? Are you saying that after messing with your body, you also messed with your soul?!"
Everyone flinched at her roar. Naruto ducked his head with a heavy sigh.
Seeing his antics, Tsunade gritted her teeth and roared
"OUT WITH IT! WHAT ELSE DID YOU DO?"
Naruto opened his mouth.
"...Taking inspiration from the Flying Thunder God Mark... I just tried to design a spiritual mark that attaches to a person's spirit or soul to locate them... That evening, I had almost finished it."
Tsunade and the others took a sharp, deep breath. While the adults were in the know, the genin were entirely lost.
"What is a Flying Thunder God Mark? Do you know, Hinata?" Karin didn't understand what was going on, so she asked Hinata, who was equally confused.
"I don't know... but... I think I've heard the name 'Flying Thunder God' somewhere...?"
While the girls were left in the dark, Kakashi and the other adults were fully focused. With just a few of Naruto's words, they already understood what he was trying to achieve.
(...Thank goodness it was not some Orochimaru-type bull*shit,) Kakashi thought.
Tsunade also sighed in relief. After dealing with the Edo Tensei being used to attack the village, and witnessing Orochimaru's insanity firsthand because of immortality jutsu which technically is snake messing with his own soul , she had been sweating for Naruto and the village's safety.
But hearing this, she finally relaxed.
"...So, did you finish it?" Kakashi asked.
Hearing Kakashi's question, Naruto's mind raced. In the end, he replied without 'changing' his expression.
"....Um, well... I failed it..... And I think I damaged my spiritual energy? Or something... I think that's why things are going haywire in my body... Probably."
Naruto had initially wanted to say that he succeeded. However, considering the barrage of questions that would follow, he voted against it. Since he had already concluded that the reason for his condition was lacking or "damaged" spiritual energy, he simply decided to present that as the truth.
(.......Strange Though . Before using the Blue Spirit Mark on humans, I used it plenty on animals during the experimental phase, but it never gave me any problems,) he thought.
Though confused, Naruto still put the idea out there, expressing his own uncertainty so that the others could pitch in and help just in case spiritual energy wasn't the root cause.
Hearing his words, Tsunade's forehead creased. "Explain everything to me."
Naruto nodded at her order and started describing the Blue Spirit Mark as much as he could within safe boundaries, making sure that his deeper secrets and anything questionable weren't mentioned.
Time ticked by.
Once Naruto finished explaining his purposefully "half-completed" jutsu, Tsunade and the others fell into silence.
The two genin and the Anbu operative put on faces of understanding despite not comprehending a single word.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was deeply contemplating. He found quite a few similarities to the Flying Thunder God Jutsu that his sensei had once tried to teach him. While he hadn't managed to learn it back then, Kakashi still knew the theory.
Combined with his knowledge of a thousand ninjutsu and genjutsu, he tried to piece things together.
Granted, there was only so much one could do without actually knowing the Flying Thunder God or any other spiritual jutsu.
But Kakashi wasn't trying to learn it. What he needed to do was simply find faults in Naruto's explanation—if he could do that, the issue might resolve itself.
Tsunade massaged her temples as she listened to his explanation. Though the Fifth Hokage had basically no understanding of spiritual jutsu, she was trying to see if she could find any elements within the technique that might affect the physical body.
In the end, it was Tsunade who broke the silence.
"...Later, you will give me both the Eternal Forge and the Blue Spirit Mark. Only then can I find a real solution for you. As for now.... since you suspect it was because of your spiritual energy, we first wait and see what happens when your spiritual energy recovers."
"....Are we really just waiting?" Kakashi spoke softly. This passive treatment didn't sit well with him.
"I've already done everything I could in the two days since this kid hugged the hospital bed," Tsunade replied. "Right now, the main direction is to research those two 'masterpieces Of Jutsu' of our resident genius and find the correct way to treat him. Resting so his spiritual energy recovers is one part of that."
"So we let his spiritual energy recover over a few days... and then run the tests again to see if it worked?" Yugao chimed in, her voice laced with worry.
Tsunade nodded. "With an unknown condition, any treatment without full certainty can be fatal. So, first we do this, and second, we search for a treatment the normal/Safe way."
Hearing the discussion, Naruto opened his mouth to deny her request. After all, who would want to hand over their prized jutsu and trump cards for free?
(Forget the village..... what if it falls into the hands of someone like Obito, or Kumo? The consequences...)
But just as that thought crossed his mind, Naruto smiled bitterly to himself.
(Consequences...... aren't I in the exact same boat? If no treatment is found, what consequences will I face?......... Broken Mentality Or ......even DEath )
Suddenly, Tsunade's stern voice cut through his thoughts.
"Naruto."
"...Yeah?"
"For the next few days, you will only rest. Deep rest..... No training. Especially no genjutsu or anything spiritually related. Got it?"
"Understood."
"If you find anything—whether it's a lead for a treatment or new problems in your own body—you report it to me first. GOT IT?"
"...Understood."
"And absolutely no new jutsu creation without a mentor or Kakashi's guidance! GOT IT?"
Naruto dragged his hands down his face and let out a long sigh. " *Haaaaaaaaa*... got it."
Just when Naruto thought everything was finsished
"...Is there anything else you want to enlighten us about?"
Hearing Tsunade's sarcastic tone, Naruto sighed again. But after thinking for a moment, he spoke up.
"I hope... both jutsu remain an absolute secret. They need to be included in the Forbidden Jutsu Scroll."
Tsunade just rolled her eyes. "Duh. As if that isn't obvious."
".....Make sure you put it in the scroll after cutting it into pieces. Like in fragments."
"..."
"Why? You think the Forbidden Scroll isn't secure enough?"
"A jutsu that can take a Bijuu's chakra and empower oneself... Yes , It harms the User ........BUt The repercussions of that, especially if it falls into the hands of other villages who won't care about the well-being of their shinobi when pursuing goals or power... like Kumo, Suna, or others."\
"..."
" I hope the village takes full precaution with this. This is the exact reason I never told anyone about the technique."
Hearing Naruto's words, the people in the room finally grasped the truly dangerous consequences of his invention. It dawned on them that as long as someone had access to Bijuu chakra, they could learn this technique without even being a Jinchuriki.
Just as a chill ran down everyone's spines, Kakashi spoke up.
"....Can anyone learn it? Like, what is the actual difficulty of learning this?"
Naruto nodded and explained.
" S+Rank I guess .... The difficulty is definitely above Tsunade-nee's Hundred Healings Seal. Fuuinjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, chakra control, Bijuu chakra—nothing can be missing. And I made it perfectly tailored for myself, so it's incredibly difficult."
Naruto spoke as remembered that thw sole reason that he could create and even apply this eal was simply because of the special Seal creation state reward from System , ehich was also superimposed with Great sage buff and also his many passive skills .
Especially the MIndHubskill .
(........Even though the difficulty is off the charts .... nEver take things from granted , always remember MAdara's saying ) Naruto thoguht silently .
hearing Naruto , Tsunade nodded in understanding, while the others sighed in relief. Seeing this, Naruto immediately burst their bubble.
"...But we can't underestimate others. My physical body is already at the level of a Jonin at just twelve years old, and I've used this seal for less than a year. Even if I trained hard and am different , if other villages somehow manage to replicate even a fraction of this technique's effectiveness, they could easily mass-produce Chunin and Genin."
"...It shouldn't be that easy, right?" Yugao muttered.
"Yeah," Karin added. "Isn't this technique faulty and life-threatening? Why would other villages use it if their shinobi will just die? I don't think even Kusa would do something like that."
But hearing Karins words or question , None of the shinobi in the room answered her.
Seeing their grim silence, Karin's face paled. "...Right? Why is no one saying anything?"
Ignoring Karin's panic, Naruto picked up his train of thought. "The chakra I took was just a fraction of the Kyuubi's, and it was an even smaller fraction of the chakra already naturally leaking from my seal. If others used their Bijuu as a direct energy extractor... then..."
Naruto stopped talking, letting the horrifying implication sink in.
"No way," Hinata whispered, her eyes wide at the sheer cruelty of other villages' methods. For the sheltered eldest miss, this concept was far too cruel—even worse than the internal bullying within her own clan.
"But hundreds would die... even their own people?" Karin asked in shock. Even Kusa shinobi took their own lives seriously. Taking the lives of enemies for their own survival was something Karin understood from her stay at Kusa , but sacrificing their own people for marginal gains was beyond her comprehension.
"Making Chunin or Genin by the hundreds is definitely not a false alarm," Tsunade muttered, her throat suddenly dry.
"No.... even if a shinobi dies from this technique over time, in wartime, the other villages would still go through with it."
It seemed that as Hokage, her worry for the blond boy's health had blinded her to the geopolitical ramifications of his invention. But now, reminded by Naruto, Tsunade awoke to a terrifying chill.
(If other villages had someone like Danzo... No, even their Hokage might go through with a plan like this in wartime,) Tsunade realized. (Actually... even the Konoha elders would be tempted. This technique...)
Feeling the immense weight of the consequences, Tsunade spoke in a harsh, deadly serious tone.
"Everything discussed here today is an S-Rank secret. No one is to breathe a word of it outside this room.........especially These Forbidden Techniques "
Hearing the Fifth Hokage's order, Kakashi and Yugao immediately answered. "Understood."
Tsunade turned back to Naruto ignoring the two little girls who seems to be in trance
"The techniques..... write them down and give them to Kakashi."
"Yeah."
"Kakashi, you will wait for further arrangements."
"Yes."
"Yugao, you will accompany Naruto 24/7. Also, every day, morning and evening, you will perform basic tests. Any changes, you report everything directly to me."
"Understood."
"Alright.... Kakashi, with me."
"Yes."
The Fifth Hokage left the room massaging her temples, closely followed by Kakashi. The room was left to Naruto and the girls.
But Naruto was already in a trance. While everyone else seemed to be looking at things optimistically, Naruto was deeply troubled. After all, sickness and cures didn't run on optimism.
No one wants to be sick, but it still happens—from a normal cold or fever to terrifying things like cancer, or diseases you've never even heard of.
In the end, no one wants to be sick and suffer. But Naruto knew Reality and that;s why he absorbed the facts and kept digging for the root cause of his condition , utilizing all his passive and active skills mentally.
At that moment, Naruto felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw the purple-haired Anbu, who had already taken off her mask.
"It's okay, Naruto-kun," Yugao said softly. "We have Tsunade-sama, the number one medical shinobi in the world. Don't worry."
Karin stepped up to his other side, adding her own comfort. "Yeah, don't be so depressed and tense... We'll all find a solution together."
Naruto nodded at them and lay back down on the bed, though his mind was still furiously spinning, trying to think of measures for a cure or anything remotely useful.
Seeing Naruto so absentminded, Yugao bit her lip, her heart sinking as she looked at his pale face.
(Please, Sage of Six Paths...... I already lost Hayate... I can't lose Naruto too,) she prayed silently.
Karin clenched her fists in worry. Looking at the distracted boy, she realized his face had completely lost the sunny, radiant smile she had seen just a few days ago during the Hokage inauguration. Panic gripped her heart.
(If only draining my blood could heal him.....but... I... I... Is there really nothing I can do?)
Karin stood there in a trance, but suddenly realized there was another person who hadn't spoken since earlier.
(I don't know how crushed someone gentle & kind like Hinata must be feeling right now... Huh? Wait, where is Hinata?)
Karin quickly looked around and saw that Hinata was missing. Bewildered, she instinctively flared her senses and caught Hinata's chakra. It was just outside the door, a little further down the corridor. Focusing her Kagura's Mind Eye, Karin pinpointed her exact location.
(That's Hinata... and Tsunade-sama and Kakashi? What are they talking about?)
Overcome by curiosity, Karin silently moved her feet and crept toward the presence. When she peeked around the corner, she saw Hinata kneeling on the floor right in front of the Fifth Hokage.
And then, Karin heard the usually gentle, kind Hinata speak in a completely different manner.
"PLEASE, TSUNADE-SAMA! PLEASE LET ME HELP, AS LONG AS IT CURES NARUTO-KUN!"
"Haaa... you kid, don't you understand how things work? I am also—"
"I WILL DO IT! AS LONG AS NARUTO-KUN GETS BETTER, PLEASE LET ME HELP!"
"..."
"ANYTHING! EVERYTHING!"
"..."
"PLEASE! I don't want to be a powerless failure anymore! I don't want to just stand by and watch myself lose everything , anything ...Him... PLEASE ...!!"
The sheer strength and desperate resolve in the voice of the twelve-year-old girl not only shook Tsunade, but also stunned Karin, Kakashi, and even the hidden Anbu shadow guards nearby.
If Naruto were here, he would have felt it too. He would have recognized this exact expression on Hinata's face —the same fiery resolve and face that Hinata would one day show when she confronted Pain, the same look she wore when she stood against Madara beside Naruto , fully aware of her own powerlessness and Results .
(...The resolve to die.)
Tsunade and Kakashi understood that expression far too well. It hit Kakashi particularly hard; his face paled as if he had just seen a ghost , because he already saw someone looking at him with the same Face .
(...Rin.)
Kakashi took a step back as the memories came crashing down on him. Not just Rin, but also Obito, who had given him the eye he had lost with the same face that faced Death smiling .
Tsunade also recognized the blazing resolve radiating from the girl, and more importantly, the profound grief or emotions driving it.
(...Dan---..........Is this will OF Fire That OLD MAn nagged about ?? )
Shaking her head to clear the ghosts of her past, Tsunade looked down at the so-called "failure" of the Hyuga clan. She remembered how the girl had proved herself during the Chunin Exams, but she also remembered the Hyuga Patriarch's dismissive words:
Too kind and gentle. A failure of a shinobi and Clan Head
Tsunade's harsh expression softened as she gazed down at this little girl.
(A failure? What a joke........... This girl is Strong)
Finally, the Fifth Hokage's lips parted as her desicion was made , and everyone in the hallway listened as she uttered her response...
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Konohagakure No Sato:
Konoha Movie Theater (15 Days Later) :
"MAO!"
" HAHA , WHat's worng PRINCESS FUUN!"
"...You bastard, you won't be able to go any further than this!"
The princess picked up her sword in front of the evil Mao and started moving through the armored puppets. But the more she destroyed, the more samurai puppets woke up. Seeing this, the evil Mao spoke again.
"Just obediently give up and beg for forgiveness.... otherwise... I don't mind rewarding my soldiers with the Princess.... forever...!!"
Naruto sat in his seat toward the back, watching the ongoing superhit movie of the 'Snow Princess.' It featured the most beautiful and popular actress in the Land of Fire, Yukie Fujikaze.
He watched the whole movie absentmindedly, his thoughts elsewhere. Though he was tense inside, his face remained visibly ,much more relaxed than before /
(...At least the spiritual energy theory was helpful.)
After his awakening and the big reveal, Naruto and the others noticed that once his spiritual energy recovered, all the other abnormal readings seemed to go down. Everyone had sighed in relief.
But it was only helpful, not a full cure. The rest of his test readings were still over the top. The only difference this time was that his spiritual energy seemed to be trying to balance everything inside his body while suppressing the dosage from the 'protein.'
Though for example , from previous dangerous 99 reading , It only came down To 40
(It was just helpful, though......... but not the full cure.)
The test readings were still much higher than normal, just not completely off the charts like before. While the others searched for a cure, Naruto focused on the mental influence the Kyuubi's chakra was having on him.
Getting comfortable in his seat, Naruto looked down to where Sakura and Sasuke were sitting, completely engrossed in the movie. Seeing them, he looked back at the screen and fell into thought again.
(...The signs were always there... weren't they?)
He remembered all his different actions after applying the Eternal Forge Seal technique.
His emotionless analysis and future decisions regarding Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi , is Own Team .
His indifference to most things.
The killings against Gato and the others in the Chunin Exams , something he did far too easily despite never being prone to violence , much much Murder .
The unnecessary fight against Orochimaru despite knowing the outcome.
Another unnecessary fight against Po (the grizzly bear) despite his previous injuries.
His mentality for dominance against the bear.
His arrogance and wrath toward Lee when he took the stage against him wearing weights.
His indifference regarding Hayate's death, and maybe many other moments during the Konoha Crush.
(...No, I did ignore the clues...but did i ..... ever—something?? But even without the seal, but I still feel Some desisions were right ........I.... I ...)
Naruto fell into confusion. He didn't know if the Kyuubi or the Beast's mentality was currently affecting his decisions. The problem was whether what he thought—and still felt—was it truly him, or just a decision made under the Beast's influence.
(...Regardless... Tsunade-nee did find a solution... though... the system already gave me the answer long before.)
Naruto remembered the temporary solution Tsunade-nee had found and given him from the Forbidden Seal scroll.
(Spirit Transformation Technique...... the method to train the soul?? Or spiritual energy.)
The solution Tsunade had given him was the exact same one the system had awarded him when he cashed in that S-rank jutsu lottery under the 'Lucky' buff he signed in from the Konoha Shrine.
(...Luck works in mysterious ways.)
Naruto sat silently as the movie continued. He already understood that if not for his Level 4 Spirit Transformation Technique, he might have been in dire straits long before.
(........It seems the Spirit Transformation Technique should now take precedence over the Hiraishin Training )
According to the technique, the longer you stay in a soul state after leaving the body, the more your soul strengthens—slowly but surely. But Naruto never actually did that. His main focus has always been to level up the techniwue instead of focusing on Soul endurance .
After all, his main focus had always been the Hiraishin or other jutsus. Wasting time floating in the sky where he couldn't do anything was never something he would have done before.
Looking at it now, though: while training the Hiraishin for two years—taking up the majority of his time—his progress was only at Level 3. But while training the Spirit Transformation Technique for only one year, with much less time invested, his progress had hit Level 4, even putting it in the late stages.
(...I should have noticed the signs.)
At the time, Naruto thought the technique's progress was faster because of his reincarnated or merged soul.
But now?
(...while Other factors are there too, but... the physical energy and the spiritual... they both should be influencing each other in some way...)
Tsunade-nee had already given him the technique , Now making it legitimate, and now that Naruto knew the ins and outs of his state, he planned to fully focus on it.
(As long as the spiritual side suppresses the physical side... things should be in control.)
It wasn't a full, permanent cure, but it was a measure that he and the others could accept. Only...
(The situation where my spiritual energy is depleted or hurt.... can never happen again.)
Naruto considered this and decided to focus not only on the Spirit Transformation Technique but on other spiritual aspects as well. Whether it was Genjutsu or something else, they might not directly increase spiritual energy, but they should still help with spiritual energy control—just like Medical Ninjutsu did for Yang Release.
(....Yin Release and Yang Release.)
Suddenly, Naruto felt his hand being grabbed while immersed in his thoughts , A small palm covered his, and then fingers entwined with his own. Feeling this, Naruto looked over and saw Ino holding his hand.
But the girl's expression wasn't the same as before. Unlike the past, where she would turn red at the slightest teasing, this time, Ino's expression was different.
( Is she encouraging me?)
It was an expression of bravery, of encouragement, a silent feeling that you are not alone.
(...It seems I am worrying them a little too much.)
Naruto closed his hand, entwining his fingers with Ino's small hand, and looked back at the movie, which seemed to be ending.
His thoughts, however, lingered on Ino.
Ino hadn't been there when the big reveal happened. She had already exhausted herself staying with him for the previous twenty-four hours, so Hinata and Karin had taken her place while she was sent home to rest.
Later, while everything was sealed away as an S-rank secret, Naruto had told Ino a few things to ease her worry. He hadn't mentioned the Eternal Forge or anything major—just a small explanation about a new technique having problems, or something along those lines.
At first, Naruto had just wanted to play it off as a minor injury from an S-rank shinobi's attack. But considering Ino's expertise in psychology and information gathering, combined with the looks on Karin and Hinata's faces, he decided against it and tried to keep the explanation lighthearted instead.
But Ino being Ino—the sharp daughter of the Intelligence Division Head, who also seemed to be in the know about the Jinchuriki's condition—had already pieced together her own theories in these 2 weeks.
Between her own deductions and the expressions of Karin and Hinata, Ino was already 90% in the know. The only things she didn't know were about the Eternal Forge and the deeper specifics.
Her conclusion was that Naruto had a serious mishap or disease with no available cure, and that even Tsunade-sama, the Hokage, was desperately trying to find one without any success.
Since figuring this out over the last ten days, Ino had changed a little. Just like Karin and Hinata
(Ino got clingy..... and Karin and Hinata became career women... *sigh* )
Soon, Naruto heard the hush and whispers of the hall and realized the movie was over.
"Let's go."
"Um."
Naruto led Ino out of the hall. They wandered around the village for the rest of their date, but despite trying several methods to cheer her up, Ino's smile never seemed genuine, even at the end.
Naruto watched as Ino ended the date and walked away. Using his Kagura's Mind Eye, he soon noticed her heading straight for the Intelligence Division.
(...It seems she's going to ask Inoichi.)
Naruto had kept his mouth shut, not telling her more than necessary, and Karin and Hinata had done the same. But Ino could clearly see there were still things being hidden from her.
Things she wanted to know, no matter what. Whether they were useful or not.
Naruto moved his feet, his mind still on Ino's state, and soon approached a small empty plot where Team 7 seemed to be waiting.
(...*sigh*... She must be thinking that the things we are keeping from her are more serious than a 'difficult' illness....... not knowing it's a dangerous Eternal Seal that is a Global Risk and not actually about my health.)
Naruto shook his head as he greeted his team.
*BOOM!*
Suddenly, a wooden board crashed into the area, welcoming the Snow Princess—and marking the beginning of a new mission.
(...The Land of Snow.)
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Author's Note :
Alright , now We will focus on actions and missions
though do tell me If I should accelarate the pacing .
I would also appreacte , If you advise , how kuch chapte should i invest in this Snow arc .
As for Narutos health , It's not a cure and will have more development , Only I will write it all in single chapter.
If there are any ideas for snow country sign in Reward , then they are welcome
No Snow Release though .
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