It's Too Troublesome to be Hokage

On a broad and level official road…

The giant-horned deer clopped forward, dragging a wooden cart slowly but steadily in the direction of Konoha.

Upon that simply crafted cart—

Nara Shikadan lay hidden in the shadow of his [Shadow Clone], practicing the [Hiragi no Jutsu].

This was a rather "un-Nara" secret technique.

Despite the word "shadow" in its name, the [Hiragi no Jutsu] wasn't a pure Yin Release technique. Its key principle was compressing one's physical body to be as thin as a shadow—while maintaining that state.

The chakra required for this wasn't Yin Release, but ordinary elemental-neutral chakra.

Previously, Shikadan's meager chakra reserves had made maintaining [Hiragi no Jutsu] for more than a moment nearly impossible.

But now that he possessed the A-rank ninja tool [Chakra Crystal]...

Shikadan could sustain the technique for as long as he liked.

While maintaining the [Flat Shadow Technique], he simultaneously practiced the immortal breathing technique obtained at the Fire Temple—

[Sage Guidance Technique].

The moment he returned to Kyoto, Shikadan had begun studying this precious method of attuning with natural energy. His talent in spiritual discipline paid off—he was already making considerable progress.

Now, as he breathed in and out rhythmically...

His spiritual awareness gradually emptied.

Soon, he entered a deep meditative state.

Time slipped away.

And then—at a particularly delicate moment—

Shikadan's spiritual awareness slipped loose from his main body...

...and flowed into the [Shadow Clone] just inches away.

His original body, still hidden in the cart's shadows, continued operating both the [Flat Shadow Technique] and the [Sage Guidance Technique].

Shikadan smiled from within the clone, his consciousness floating light as mist.

"This is the ideal training rhythm!"

Consciousness remains in the shadow clone—enabling communication and awareness.

Meanwhile, the main body practices the Sage Technique twenty-four hours a day in total stillness...

The body and the soul—at least one must always be moving forward!

Just then, Yamanaka Inoichi, walking ahead of the group, suddenly made a sharp hand gesture.

At once, Sarutobi Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai, and Taketake Tonbo glanced at one another, then vanished into the trees with silent coordination.

Moments later, they re-emerged from the nearby forest, bloodied but victorious.

Nara Shikano, who was driving the cart, gave the giant-horned deer a pat.

The docile animal slowed even further—what had already been a sluggish pace now became positively snail-like.

But that suited their needs.

The three chunin were winded and needed a moment to recover.

Compared to the outbound trip, the return journey had fewer personnel—Might Guy's team was still escorting the caravan.

Yet despite that, their speed hadn't increased.

It had actually decreased.

The reason?

The mission to clear out bounty hunters still hadn't made much progress.

On the road back to Konoha, Yamanaka Inoichi continuously swept the surroundings with his spiritual perception, probing for hidden attackers.

Whenever he located a squad of lurking bounty hunters—

It was up to Sarutobi Asuma and the others to strike.

In just half a day, the trio had taken out multiple groups hoping to ambush the supply convoy.

Meanwhile, Nara Shikadan remained serene.

Chunin- and Genin-level targets could only trigger C-rank battle missions at best.

At this point, he no longer even blinked at those.

Unless the opponent was a special one—like Chiriku.

Shikadan preferred to spend his time more productively—polishing the advanced ninjutsu he already possessed.

Though conditions on the road made it difficult to study [Camouflage] or [Super Beast Imitation Drawing]...

He could still secretly experiment with "spinning chakra balls."

Using his deep understanding of chakra control—and the known training method for the [Rasengan]—Shikadan had made excellent progress.

Sitting on the cart, he turned his right palm upward.

A small dark orb, about the size of a ping pong ball, began to form above it—composed of rotating shadow threads.

Within it, waves of pure Yin Release chakra swirled chaotically.

'This is just Stage One.'

With a casual squeeze, Shikadan dispersed the unstable shadow sphere.

'But integrating it into [Shadow Penetration Bullet] is already feasible.'

The system panel popped up:

[B-Rank Technique: Spiral Shadow Piercing Bullet]

→ Self-developed technique; advanced shadow-based ninjutsu

→ Effect: Infuses Yin Release chakra into shadow, condensing it into a high-speed spiraling projectile. Fired with focused release, its initial speed exceeds the speed of sound. Powerful and precise.

→ Evaluation: "It's a spiral. I added a spiral."

Shikadan blinked.

'The name's been upgraded, and the power is slightly boosted… but the core technique is still B-rank.'

'Only after I fully master [Rasengan] will I be able to evolve [Shadow Piercing Bullet] into something greater.'

At noon, the Konoha team paused to rest and prepare lunch.

Shikadan's deer cart rolled into the shade of a tree. The old patriarch reclined beside him, releasing the harness of the horned deer and letting it graze freely.

"Nice weather today," Shikano said, lying half-sideways under the tree and lazily chewing a blade of grass.

"I hate missions during bad weather. So much wasted energy..."

"Fortunately, I'm about to retire..."

Shikadan cut in at just the right moment.

"Chief, I have a question."

He'd heard enough ominous death flags along the journey.

"Mm. Go ahead," said Shikano. "I'll answer whatever I can."

Shikadan raised his right hand, revealing the chakra crystal ring.

"Earlier, you gave me chakra metal. I'm planning to forge it into ninja tools."

"Are there any master smiths in Konoha I can entrust that to?"

A high-quality chakra-conductive weapon could greatly improve a ninja's effectiveness.

Shikano nodded, chewing the grass more slowly.

"Ah… I forgot to explain that."

"The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans aren't weapon specialists. If you want chakra metal gear forged, you'll need to go through others."

Shikadan leaned in attentively.

"There are two stores in Konoha that deal in ninja tools."

Shikano held up two fingers.

"First—Konoha Ninja Tools. Their tools aren't outstanding, but they're reliable. Good baseline quality."

"Second—Shoryudo. Specializes in forging custom gear. If you want weapons, I recommend going there and asking for their 'genius owner'."

Shikadan blinked.

'Shoryudo?' What a mighty name!

"This genius owner," Shikadan asked. "He's skilled at forging ninja tools?"

Shikano shook his head.

"No… the boss is named 'Ten' and surnamed 'Tian'."

Shikadan's expectations sank instantly.

But wait... 'Tian'? Could he be one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja in the future? Maybe… Tenten's father?

That made the place seem much more appealing.

Still, another thought surfaced.

Shikadan remembered the cat-woman he'd met at the Animal Training and Rehabilitation Center.

"Chief, what about the weapon craftsmanship of the Cat Village Clan?"

Shikano frowned and sat up.

"Shikadan… where did you hear that name?"

"That's a black market merchant clan."

Shikadan briefly recounted how he'd met the so-called "Nekobaa."

Shikano relaxed slightly.

"Ah… so it was just an accident. Well, not quite an accident."

"The Cat Village—also called the Nekomaru Clan—has always served the wealthy elite. That 'Nekobaa' might say she left them, but don't be fooled."

"There's no such thing as a black market merchant who isn't black-hearted."

"But, credit where it's due—their forging skill is far better than Shoryudo's."

"The Nekomaru Clan are the Uchiha clan's exclusive weapons suppliers."

"Even the Uchiha—arrogant as they are—recognize their craftsmanship."

Shikadan's eyes sparkled.

'Got it!'

When I return to the village—I'm going straight to Nekobaa for weapon forging!

After lunch, the convoy resumed their journey.

Two to three hours later…

The cart finally exited the capital outskirts and entered a broad, heavily forested region.

Suddenly—

Yamanaka Inoichi's expression darkened.

Rather than signaling the others, he blinked directly to Nara Shikano's side.

"Lord Shikano!"

His tone was low and urgent.

"I just sensed a ninja ahead in the woods—one with an enormous amount of chakra. And..."

"He's waiting for us."

Before Inoichi could finish—

A tall figure stepped silently out of the shadowy forest.

With mask-like features and stitched limbs...

The bounty hunter, Kakuzu, had arrived.

-End Chapter-

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