บท 54: Chapter 54: Mastery of the Spirit Transformation Technique
After hearing Akira's update, Minato looked serious.
"Fugaku, I owe you for reminding me. I've been a bit too lax in watching over Kushina lately."
"It's only right. If Akira hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have thought of it either," Fugaku replied with a smile.
"Thank him for me," Minato said gratefully.
As he watched Fugaku leave, Minato thought to himself,
"I really should tighten up Kushina's security. I'll reach out to the Third Hokage and ask for help from his Anbu."
Minato made his way to the councillors and explained his concerns briefly.
"This is indeed not a matter to overlook," Hiruzen nodded solemnly. "I'll assign two Anbu squads to guard Kushina in rotation."
"Thank you, Lord Third," Minato said with a relieved smile, bowing in gratitude.
"Minato," a voice called out. It was Koharu Utatane, one of the councillors. "I must caution you — the Uchiha clan can't be fully trusted right now. They have a history of attempting coups. It's fine to work with them, but when it comes to something as important as the jinchūriki, you need to be cautious."
Minato felt a flicker of irritation, though he kept his expression neutral. In his view, the Uchiha were a loyal and honorable clan. Despite the rebellion attempt under the Second Hokage's rule, they had proven themselves over the years.
Constantly doubting them after so long seemed unfair. Besides, Minato was confident he could keep any dissenting voices under control.
He nodded. "I understand. I'll make sure they don't get involved with Kushina."
Koharu gave a satisfied nod. "A certain level of vigilance is still necessary. The jinchūriki's safety is no small matter."
"Exactly!" Homura, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. His gaze was intense as he addressed Minato.
"Kushina's protection is our responsibility, Minato. The Uchiha clan must not be allowed any involvement!"
With a tone as cold as her gaze, Koharu added, "And I've heard Kushina has been spending time with Mikoto Uchiha. Minato, in these sensitive times, she needs to limit her contact with Mikoto. Now isn't the time for personal matters."
Minato felt a twinge of helplessness but nodded. "Understood. I'll speak with Kushina about maintaining some boundaries."
"Good. Don't let your guard down," Koharu said approvingly.
As the months passed, the year reached July 51.
At the end of the month, Fugaku's second son was born. Fugaku named the child Sasuke.
The child's birth didn't cause much of a stir, life in Konoha remained calm.
Half a year later, with the support of the Uchiha and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, Minato was no longer merely the Hokage in name—he had gained full authority over Konoha.
"Finally, I've truly mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique!" Akira let out a long breath.
After half a year of intensive training, he had finally reached mastery in this powerful, high-level S-rank jutsu.
"Now to test its practical use," he thought, making the necessary hand signs before sitting cross-legged.
A faint, shimmering white light emerged from him, and in the next instant, a semi-transparent version of Akira stepped out of his physical body.
This was Akira's spirit form.
"So this is the spirit state," Akira mused, gazing at his ethereal body. While his Sharingan still functioned, he noted that he couldn't perform any other jutsu.
His form was surrounded by a soft white glow and felt almost weightless, as though he could reach any place in the world in an instant.
A moment later, Akira's spirit form vanished, like a streak of light across the sky. In a flash, he had left Konoha.
Once the Spirit Transformation Technique transformed his spirit, he couldn't teleport, but he could travel at speeds almost comparable to light.
When he reappeared, he was on the battlefield where Konoha had once clashed with Kirigakure.
Activating his sensory abilities, Akira began searching for the Six-Tails.
He had previously encountered the Six-Tails and acquired some of its chakra, which meant that as long as it was still in the Shinobi World, he could sense its presence with his spirit form.
"As I suspected, I can't sense the Six-Tails anymore. It's likely been sealed into the Gedo Statue by Obito," Akira thought, unsurprised by the outcome.
"Well, then let's see if I can locate the Gedo Statue itself." He extended his senses further.
Moments later, he detected a familiar chakra far off in the direction of the Land of Rain.
The Gedo Statue's chakra was vast and overwhelming. In Akira's spirit sense, it was like an endless ocean, boundless and full of violent, frenzied intent.
"Incredible…" Akira marveled.
Even with just one tailed beast sealed inside, the Gedo Statue's power was enough to make Akira's heart race.
"Is that Obito? And the Six Paths of Pain…? And Nagato?" Akira's expression shifted subtly as he realized something unusual about Nagato.
Since chakra from the Six Paths of Pain was linked to Nagato, Akira could identify him from his previous encounter.
"Something's different about Nagato's chakra now… It's similar to Obito's. Did he also transplant Hashirama's cells?" Akira wondered, putting the pieces together quickly.
In his sensory view, Nagato's chakra now had a similar vitality to Obito's—a quality he had only seen before in Hashirama's cells.
"So Nagato has regained full mobility," Akira thought, feeling a flicker of concern.
Although he couldn't visually see what was happening, he could pinpoint Nagato's location. Judging by his speed, Nagato's legs had definitely recovered.
"It looks like Obito has given Nagato a major upgrade. This could be trouble if Nagato reaches his full potential…" Akira mused.
With the power of the Rinnegan, Uzumaki's vast chakra reserves, and the added strength of Hashirama's cells and Wood Release, Nagato's potential was now beyond anything Akira could predict.
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