Bab 139: Chapter 139: Accelerating the Pace
"What? I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage? That makes me the descendant of a hero? Wahahaha… I'm the descendant of a hero!"
Naruto shouted excitedly, running around in joy. Kakashi stood to the side, looking helpless. All the careful explanations he had prepared were now entirely unnecessary.
He had planned to explain how Naruto's hardships stemmed from the decisions of the previous generation. But Naruto, oblivious to such concerns, was completely immersed in the revelation of his new identity.
In a training field, Aoba was sparring with Hayate Gekkō and Hayama Shirakumo.
Obito's recent attack had heightened Aoba's sense of urgency, prompting him to accelerate his plans.
His first priority was cultivating his own power base.
Aoba had already achieved significant influence within Konoha. While Tsunade wasn't exactly fond of him, she trusted him as a leader, granting him substantial authority.
However, this was far from enough. Aoba's goal was to consolidate Konoha's resources entirely which was a massive undertaking.
For Konoha's previous Hokage, such a plan might have been difficult to accept immediately. This was why Aoba had supported Tsunade's rise to power instead of becoming Hokage himself.
He needed time, a transitional period for the villagers to adapt to a new era.
Hayate Gekkō and Hayama Shirakumo were two of the few Konoha ninja who specialized in swordsmanship. Aoba had passed on his years of swordsmanship insights to them.
Every so often, he sparred with them personally, not only to help them improve but also to assess their progress.
Cultivating a loyal team wasn't easy. Aoba needed more than combat strength; he required loyalty and execution ability.
After several exchanges, Aoba had a clear understanding of their current capabilities.
"That's enough for today. You both have missions to complete so don't exhaust too much chakra."
By Aoba's standards, the two were at the level of seasoned jōnin, but they still fell short of elite jōnin.
Both were talented but not exceptionally so.
Elite jōnin, after all, were typically individuals with extraordinary talent in at least one area.
To reach Kage level required not just talent and effort, but also favorable circumstances, such as lineage or unique opportunities.
Aoba's primary goal with his reforms was to break the ninja clans' monopoly on resources and develop more civilian ninja to bolster Konoha's ranks.
The ninja academy had already shown promising results. The overall standard of genin and chūnin had risen noticeably. But that wasn't enough.
These surface-level improvements were only the beginning. For many civilian ninja, learning a few elemental ninjutsu wasn't enough to challenge the dominance of the traditional ninja clans.
Aoba's first step was to integrate existing resources into a system that anyone could train in, regardless of bloodline, while offering significant growth potential.
There was already a precedent for this, it was Might Guy's Eight Gates Technique. In principle, it aligned closely with what Aoba was trying to achieve.
Unfortunately, the Eight Gates required an extremely high level of aptitude. Contrary to popular belief, Rock Lee's success didn't mean the technique was purely effort-based.
The Eight Gates demanded an exceptional kind of talent. Kakashi, despite being a prodigy, could only scratch the surface of it. While he could wield Mangekyō Sharingan and Kamui in his later years, the Eight Gates remained beyond his reach.
Even Aoba, with his pseudo-Sage Body, could only open the fourth gate. Advancing further would require years of intense training, possibly a decade or more. He didn't have that kind of time.
Most ninja in the shinobi world didn't have that kind of time, either.
Ultimately, Aoba settled on swordsmanship. It was one of the few disciplines anyone could train in. However, achieving the level of an elite jōnin in swordsmanship wasn't easy.
Currently, Hayate Gekkō and Hayama Shirakumo were Konoha's best swordsmen outside of Aoba himself. But their skills still didn't meet his expectations.
Hayate's Dance of the Crescent Moon, for instance, was a technique well-suited to ninja combat. But its training requirements were steep.
Aoba had begun combining their swordsmanship styles into a new, unified system. While still in its early stages, he planned to refine it further.
He had already started introducing it at the academy, free of charge. Training in chakra nature manipulation was also being promoted at the advanced ninja school.
Aoba's actions hadn't gone unnoticed. Many recognized what he was trying to do. However, his current position and strength made it difficult for the traditional clans to oppose him outright.
More importantly, Tsunade and her faction supported him. At least for now, Tsunade stood firmly on Aoba's side.
Shikaku Nara, though from a ninja clan, had a broader vision than most. He understood that the only way to stop Aoba was to eliminate him and possibly Kakashi and Tsunade as well. But such actions would spell disaster for Konoha.
Instead, Shikaku chose the smarter path, aligning with Aoba early to ensure his family maintained influence in the new order.
With Shikaku on board, the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans no longer posed a threat. However, other clans within Konoha remained hesitant.
After finishing his training for the day, Aoba returned home to find a messenger from the Hyūga clan waiting for him.
"Aoba-sama, forgive the intrusion. The head of my clan has prepared a banquet and hopes you will honor us with your presence tonight."
The messenger's tone was polite and sincere, leaving Aoba little reason to refuse.
"Understood. I'll be there."
As the Hyūga messenger left, Aoba stood holding the invitation, lost in thought.
He hadn't expected that, aside from the Ino-Shika-Cho, the first to extend goodwill toward him would be the Hyuga clan. Known as Konoha's most prestigious noble family, the Hyuga clan was famously proud and often displayed a lofty attitude toward outsiders.
Originally, Aoba thought it would be either the Sarutobi or Shimura clans to approach him first. He had even prepared strategies tailored to dealing with those two families. Yet, to his surprise, it was the Hyuga clan who came forward.
This was actually a good turn of events. After all, the Hyuga clan's influence far surpassed that of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans. If he could secure the Hyuga clan's support, his plans would undoubtedly progress more smoothly.
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