48 Chapter 48- Ren's return II
Minato POV
Standing alongside a youthful noble, he observed as his Shinobi skilfully used Ren's Road Maker to construct roads within the noble's domain.
They cleared trees, leveled the land, and, at last, placed the Stone Tablet on the ground, where the Jounin infused it with his chakra. And then they all watched as the ground underneath the tablet turned into a twenty-meter-long road, three meters wide.
The transformation commenced from the ground's lowest layer, converting the rocky terrain below into solid rock slabs. Successive layers transitioned into pebbles, sand, until finally forming the primary roadway—a single piece of rock endowed with sufficient friction to serve effectively as a road.
Ren had elaborated that constructing the road in this manner would establish a sturdy foundation, ensuring it would last for eons. Ren named it the 'Roman Style Road Maker'.
He simply called it the 'money making device'.
"This road is all you said and more, Lord Fourth." The noble said, flattering him as if his life depended on it. Which it probably did. "When I first heard about the new roads being built within Konoha, I admit that I didn't believe the rumours, but this road is a work of art. A pity I only have enough wealth to commission a Fifty kilometres stretch of road."
He nodded, not saying anything to the noble as he wasn't sure if this guy was still loyal to the Daimyo or had changed sides to join Konoha, as so many other nobles were doing these days.
He wished that Ren was here to study the guy and inform him about whether he was loyal to the Daimyo or to Konoha. Mostly likely, the guy was only loyal to himself but it would still be nice to have confirmation.
But it has been a month and Ren still hadn't come out of that special research of his, whatever it was. It must be very useful for Ren to pour so much time on it.
"It would take about two months for the mission to be completed. I hope this is not a problem for you?" He asked the noble instead, unwilling to make small talk.
"Of course not, Lord Fourth. Usually, a large group of peasants could labour tirelessly for an entire day and not achieve even a tenth of this progress. Creating one kilometre of road in a single day is truly a great achievement, I assure you of that." The noble said. "Though, I suppose it is only expected of Konoha, given your constant track record of excellence over the years."
He closed one ear to the guy's unceasing flattery and focused back on the road once again.
The noble's allegiance to Konoha stemmed not from genuine support, but rather from the geographical proximity of his lands, which were situated just about 150 kilometers away from Konoha itself.
They were practically neighbours and the guy knew that Konoha ended up going to war with the Daimyo, then the nobles near Konoha would be the first one to die at his shinobi's hands.
To someone like him, who was used to having brave, loyal subordinates who always work for the benefit of Konoha, having a new cowardly and disloyal subordinate was a headache. But one that he would gladly bear for the sake of Konoha's future.
He engaged in further conversation with the noble, reassuring him of Konoha's support, before swiftly using Hiraishin to teleport back to the summit of Hokage Tower.
Glancing down at the streets of Konoha, he observed that, as promised, Ren's Road Maker had transformed the entire street network of the village. With individual clans borrowing one Road Makers each in order to change their own dust filled roads into solid stone ones.
Konoha was experiencing a significant increase in revenue thanks to the Road Makers and other innovations introduced by Ren. They were gradually offsetting the loss of support from the Daimyo.
Now, if only there wasn't another war waiting for him at the horizon, then things would be so much better.
After gazing at the slowly prospering Konoha for another moment, he went down to his office. There, he saw that the stack of papers had grown once again and grimaced.
Prior to his month-long absence, Ren had initiated discussions about enhancing the Shadow Clone jutsu. The proposed improvement involved enabling the transfer of substantial knowledge to the user over an extended duration, rather than instantaneously.
This approach aimed to circumvent the memory overload issue inherent in the Shadow Clone Jutsu, thereby preventing individuals from experiencing any mental harm.
Since then, he and Kushina had dedicated their efforts to modifying the jutsu, but progress had been minimal. Currently, he awaited Ren's return from his month-long absence, intending to delegate the task to the boy himself.
He was confident that if stuck to it, then he would be able to modify the Shadow Clone Jutsu himself. But such a task would take years, just as it did when he modified the Hiraishin Jutsu. But he was confident that Ren could do the task in months, if not weeks or even days.
Nevertheless, he settled back into his seat and began reviewing the files, the majority of which pertained to the new businesses recently established in Konoha.
A request from a nearby noble to create a large port in his land. Unfeasible, as the Road Maker wasn't capable of such a thing and the usual structures created by a Shinobi crumbled after the chakra inside it was spent. Denied.
A request from another noble asking to buy the expensive Hashirama wood in bulk so that he could ship it to his nearby minor nation for even greater profits. Under consideration.
A request from a noble to have his pregnant wife stay in Konoha hospital where she could deliver her child much more safely. Approved.
A request from a high profile merchant to transfer a bulk of his merchandise from here to a city in Land of Earth by using storage scrolls and Hiraishin. Most likely a trap but he could just send his Shadow Clone to perform the task. Approved.
The next file was much more interesting.
It was a request from Akimichi clan, asking for the Hashirama cells so that instead of growing trees that would be cut down for their timber, they could grow trees that produce fruits, and grow a large orchid behind Konoha, thereby producing a ton of fruits.
This idea seemed rather useful, as not only would this would provide a new source of food supply for Konoha citizens, but it would also diminish the need to procure fruits from external sources, thereby reducing imports. With surplus fruits, they could even sell them to others, further boosting their revenue.
However, he couldn't simply allocate such a significant enterprise to a single clan, as it would likely be met with discontent from the other clans. But he also couldn't use this idea for Konoha's own benefit as it was proposed to him by the Akimichi clan.
Plus, he also wasn't sure if the Hashirama cells could be used to grow fruit trees. He'll have to talk with his R&D Department in regards to this.
Under consideration, and to be discussed during the next council meeting.
He was about to move to the next paper when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." He said, absently looking at the cloak on his wall. He still had two more hours of work before he would be able to go back home and spend some quality time with Naruko.
Maybe teach her some other words aside from 'Dattebayo'!
The door to his office swung open, revealing a young man exuding confidence, a familiar smirk playing on his lips.
He frowned as he noticed the young man wearing the Konoha's forehead protector on his forehead, despite being completely sure that he had never seen this guy before in his life.
What made this worse were his strange purple ringed eyes that gave him a sense of oppression, along with the fact that he couldn't sense this guy's chakra at all.
Immediately, he went on his guard and could sense his anbu doing the same. They subtly encircled the young man, poised to strike at a moment's notice.
"Yo, Minato-san." The young man said as he nonchalantly took a chair and sat down in front of him, looking totally unconcerned. "I see that your paperwork has grown from the last time I saw you."
He froze at the method of greeting. After all, there was only one person in the entire world who greeted him with such a nonchalant 'Yo Minato-san' when meeting him.
"Ren?" He asked, wondering if he was under some sort of Genjutsu or something. He flared his chakra but the world around him remained the same.
"Yes, surprised?" The young man asked, the same grin plastered on his face that he's seen on Ren's face so many times.
But the same grin that looked boyish and innocent on Ren's face looked wild and unrestrained on this young man's face. A lady killer look, through and through.
"Is that really you, Ren?" He asked, still unable to believe his eyes.
"Of course. But can you stop staring at me like that already. I'm not into men, and you're married."
His eye twitched in a manner reminiscent of when Ren would say something outrageous just to provoke a reaction from him.
"Give me a proof that you're who you say you are. Tell me about something that only Ren and I would know." He said.
The young man looked contemplative for a moment before he nodded. "Naruko's first words ever were Dattebayo!"
He grimaced at that memory, and considering that only he, Ren and Kushina had witnessed it, and they hadn't told anyone else out of shame, this was indeed the real Ren.
But… how?
"Time travel?" He asked, having witnessed something similar in one of his missions that led him to the Dragon Veins in Roran.
"No." Ren said, his leaning back against the chair. "But we can talk about that later. For now, can you fill me up on what happened in Konoha and the rest of the world during my month long absence."
He nodded, still feeling a bit out of sorts about this entire situation. "Very well. But brace yourself as some of this news might be jarring."
After all, he doubted that Ren would've expected yet another war in the horizon after being absent for an entire month.
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Ren Uchiha POV
He sat on top of a tree, hiding himself with a Genjutsu shroud around his body, and stared at the Ninjutsu that he just bought from Minato by using some of his wealth and merit points.
The Fission Technique. A Technique that allowed Mu, the Second Tsuchikage, to separate himself into two identical duplicates of himself.
Spoiler: Fission Technique
Konoha acquired this technique, along with numerous others, during their eventual raid on the secret archives within the Tsuchikage Tower. If this technique indeed functioned as he believed it did, it could prove immensely valuable to him in the future.
For the time being, he fixated on the scroll until the prompt to learn the Skillbook appeared, to which he promptly selected 'Yes'.
The scroll disintegrated into tiny glowing particles, swiftly converging towards him before dissipating into nothingness. A moment later, a new notification popped up.
Ding!
New Skill learned!
Fission Technique Level 1!
He promptly employed the technique and experienced a slight discomfort as his being was physically divided into two parts.
Suddenly, he found himself viewing the world from two distinct perspectives. This didn't caught him off guard as he already had high level of Multitasking ability, but the entire thing was still a bit jarring.
"This is a nice technique." He said, and heard himself say from the other him's perspective.
He proceeded to open his Status screen from both bodies and discovered that the chakra levels in each had been halved. Additionally, the chakra of Saiken, the tailed beast within him, had also been reduced by half.
Aside from that, their physical stats had also gone down by about 15%. Understandable, as Chakra is made up of both spiritual and physical aspect. So a person's physique and his chakra are linked together in a fundamental level.
So, not only was his chakra cut in half but his physical stats were also lowered, though his mental stats remained the same.
Acknowledging this, he nodded and attempted to utilise the Fission Technique once more, curious to see if he could further divide himself.
However, his attempt was unsuccessful, and he received a notification saying that his Fission Technique wasn't yet advanced enough to allow for another split.
So… it was possible but not right now.
Well, that's alright. He was in no hurry to weaken himself even more by splitting again. Even though doing so would increase his ability to train and give him more benefits in the long term.
For the time being, one of him set out to survey the remainder of the village, utilizing the Observe skill to uncover any new spies or traitors that may have infiltrated the village. And the other him went back to his home and talk with his waifus.
He appeared back at his garden with Hiraishin and sensed his waifus waiting inside. Though, Fugaku was there as well. Probably wanting to talk to him after his month's long absence.
He decided to go back inside but his path was blocked by one of his shadow clones. "Aren't you forgetting something?" His shadow clone asked?"
"Ah, sorry." He said and dispelled his Shadow Clones, getting all their memories.
Immediately, an entire month's memory from multiple shadow clones entered his mind. It was enough memory that despite having high Mental Resistance to Memory Overload, he still suffered some minute damage that he would have to later sleep off.
Taking a moment to sift through the memories, he frowned upon realizing that one of his Shadow Clones had encountered Black Zetsu attempting to breach one of his barriers. Despite giving chase, Black Zetsu managed to evade capture by diving deep underground and disappearing. While disappointed by the outcome, he took solace in the knowledge that his barriers were effective in detecting that slimy bastard.
He'll find that guy and deal with him eventually. But for now…
He spawned hundreds of Shadow Clones, assigning them various tasks ranging from assisting around the village to meeting with his acquaintances, and crafting numerous Fuinjutsu seals inspired by the ideas he obtained when he bought the Science Talent.
Seriously, the Science Talent was a completely broken ability, and he felt like a fool for thinking that he won't need it due to his Shadow Clone and Gamer ability.
He shook his head at how arrogant he had become and entered the house.
He entered the room to find all his waifus gathered around the fireplace, exchanging stories from their past, while Fugaku stood off to the side, looking uncomfortable.
As they caught the sound of his footsteps, they turned to face him, their jaws dropping in astonishment at the sight of his new appearance.
After all, he had meticulously sculpted his face and body using medical jutsu throughout the past month during his growth period. Was it truly surprising that he appeared as handsome as he did?
Ringo gazed at him with hunger evident in her eyes, while Mei's anticipation was palpable as she bit her lips. Pakura observed him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, Yugito audibly gulped, and even Shisui, who had not yet reached her puberty, seemed captivated by his new appearance.
"Yo," he greeted with a smirk as he approached them, exchanging a small nod with Fugaku who returned it absent mindedly, his gaze fixed at his Rinnegan eyes with undisguised curiosity.
Coming to a stop in front of his women, he allowed them a few moments to gawk at him. As someone who had been an average-looking man in his previous life, being admired like this by such beautiful women was a significant boost to his self-esteem.
After a while, Ringo broke the silence, stepping forward to place her hands on his chest, sensing his well-defined muscles beneath the fabric of his clothing. "You... you've grown taller," she remarked with a gulp.
"I told you he did, didn't I?" Mei said, her eyes not leaving him for a moment.
"Yeah, you certainly did." Pakura said and then blushed when he turned to gaze at her.
"What with your eyes though?" It was Shisui who asked this time. "Did they evolve once again."
"That's what I would like to know as well." Fugaku said as he walked toward him. "Ren, what happened to your eyes? Why did they become like this?"
"My eyes became like this after they evolved during the years I spent inside the Time Acceleration Chamber." He said. "This is the final evolution of the Sharingan eyes. The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths himself."
That got a few exclamations from his women as they stared at him in disbelief.
"What, really?" "Are those really the Sage's eyes?" "Was he even real?"
Even Fugaku looked dumbfounded for once.
"What do you mean Sage of Six Path's eyes, Ren?"
"Yes, the Sage of Six Paths was a real person who lived about a thousand years ago. And the Uchiha clan is descended from him." He said, removing the bandaid at once. "I will tell you later about how I gained these eyes, Fugaku-san. But for now, was there anything you wanted from me? Because I really want to talk with my girls about something, if you don't mind?"
"I just wanted to check up on you after your month's long absence." Fugaku said. "Though, before I leave, just how powerful are these eyes?"
He thought about the immense boost in chakra, slight boost in his physical stats, a +10 to all his affinities, and a +25 level increase to all his Genjutsu abilities, plus all the innate abilities given to him by the Rinnegan eyes itself and smiled.
"Very powerful." He said, feeling confident that he might be able to face Isshiki in his current form.
He would probably not win. But it would be a stalemate. One that he would eventually win as he gains more Resistance to all of Isshiki's abilities.
He was still not a Tier 8 character, disappointingly enough. But he was sure that he would attain that level of power once he masters Senjutsu. Or he could just reach that level after a year or two of grinding his physical stats.
Fugaku didn't look content with his simple answer of 'very powerful' but nodded.
"I wanted to talk with you about the recent changes in the clan." Fugaku said before he gazed at the rest of his women. "But I can see that I've caught you at a bad time. Come and talk to me later when you are free."
He nodded and watched as Fugaku used Shunshin to vanish from his house.
"Umm… I should probably leave as well." Shisui said, looking a bit red on the face before she followed in Fugaku's footsteps and vanished as well.
He wasn't disappointed by her departure. Shisui was still only a 10 year old girl right now. And he no sexual interest in her at that moment.
Of course, he would still seduce her once she's old enough. But for now, he had a feeling that he would have his hands full of the four women standing in front of him.
"So…" He smiled at his women as he took a seat and gestured for them to do the same. "Let's talk."
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AN: That's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it.
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Have a nice day.
