Naruto 40k Chapter 37

Chapter 37:

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Sasuke took his seat among the village heads, feeling every year difference in their ages.

The next youngest peer of his was nearly thrice his age.

Choza Akamichi, Hiashi Hyuuga, Tsume Inazuka, Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara and shibi Aburame all hovered around there. Then there were the people at the head table. Tsunade was well over four times his age. Danzo, Homura, and Hokaru were nearly sixfold.

He'd never felt inferior by virtue of age and experience since becoming a shinobi. But that was always in the battlefield. This was politics, and he felt woefully inexperienced. He wished now more than ever that Itachi had taken headship of their three man clan instead of him.

It took so much effort for him to retain his usual nonchallance in this room. Was it odd that the undead Fourth Hokage was the closest one to his age. Should he consider him that? He was technically a similar age to all the other heads, but died at twenty four. Should he be considered a twenty four year old man?

Okay, now he was just psyching himself out.

Tsunade’s voice cut him out of his inner turmoil.

“We’re here to decide what Konoha presents at the summit. Proven methods only. If it leaves this room, it represents all of us.”

Her gaze shifted to him.

“Sasuke Uchiha. Being the newest clan head, I would like to give the floor to you to start.”

Well that sinched it. They clearly all saw through his poker face, hence Tsunade letting him go first to relieve him. He was caught between feeling thankful and resentful for being treated with kid gloves.

Sasuke inclined his head slightly and stood up to speak.

“I would like to present the tsukuyomi training method. Specifically, the use of Tsukuyomi to compress instructional time for mental training of jutsu and chakra control..”

He looked around to make sure everybody was following along. Tsunade made a gentle gesture for him to continue, the expression on her face looked to express encouragement. It reminded him of Iruka trying to subtly telling him he was doing great.

“It allows for accelerated learning by placing the subject within a controlled temporal space,” he continued. “Hours or days of instruction can be experienced while only minutes pass in reality. The limitation lies in the body. Anything that depends on physical conditioning or ingrained muscle memory still requires real time to develop. The method only applies to knowledge, perception, and control. But where it shines is in showing the victim, uh, sorry victim might not be the right word. But it is an offensive genjutsu.”

"Use victim. It's appropriate" said Shikaku.

Sasuke nodded.

"The victim can be made to feel what casting a jutsu, or really any part of training, is like. So long as the caster knows what it feels like. We are trying to expand it's use to other, less powerful or user specific, genjutsu. If we can do that then we are no longer restricted to just what Itachi knows. Though admittedly, fire realease, water release and wind release are already a huge coverage that he can teach near mastery of in mere days. And he has a huge jutsu reportiore besides." Sasuke explained.

“And the results?” asked Hiashi.

“Those tested have demonstrated over six months of progress in half as many days,” Sasuke said. “Elemental training in particular has shown consistent advancement. During the war, Naruto learned two jutsu in a single session.”

“Variations,” Koharu said with a dismissive gesture. “Techniques built from foundations he already possessed.”

Sasuke met her gaze evenly.

“They were executed at a level he did not possess beforehand.”

Homura leaned forward, fingers resting lightly against the table.

“That suggests a different application,” he said. “If the method accelerates the refinement of existing knowledge, then it may allow for rapid instruction of advanced techniques built upon a subject’s current skillset.”

Sasuke, and Tsunade, allowed the whispering amongst the gathered village heads at that point. Eventually, Tsunade had to add her objections as a med nin.

“It also places severe strain on the mind,” she said. “I have treated both Kakashi and Sasuke after exposure to Tsukuyomi. The damage can be severe and long lasting. Neural overload, psychological fragmentation, long-term instability when pushed beyond safe limits. We cannot use Naruto Uzumaki, who to remind, is an Uzumaki! A clan known for incredible recovery and adaptability, even without being jinchuuriki. With the added recovery benefits of the nine-tails chakra, he is continents away from working as a case study.”

Her eyes moved briefly to Sasuke before returning to the group.

“Traditional training develops the mind and body together. This method forces the mind forward while the body struggles to keep pace. When time permits, conventional methods remain the safer option.”

Danzo spoke up with a clarification so concise it make Sasuke jealous of his economy of verbalization.

“When time permits.” he said.

Koharu hummed

“That condition assumes we will have the luxury of time,” he added. “The threats we face have already demonstrated otherwise. If we are forced to act within shortened timelines, then preference becomes irrelevant. We use what produces results.”

“And the cost?” Shikaku asked. “How many do we lose to the strain before we decide it was too many?”

“We decide that based on necessity.” said Danzo. "Same as always."

Nobody seemed to have it in them to challenge him on that. This left it to the young, brash, and courageous of them. So Sasuke.

“The method functions,” he said. “Its risks can be managed through controlled duration and medical oversight. Used selectively, it accelerates development beyond what conventional training can achieve in the same timeframe. Naruto is not our only example, though he has proven the most adaptive to it. He has all but mastered wind release with the method. So he has skewed the average, controlling for him it safely compresses one month of training to one day safely. Though to be fair, we were being overly cautious. It is possible that we can subject victims to more tsukuyomi, this speed alone was impressive enough that we didn't feel the need to.”

Tsunade exhaled slowly, her expression tightening for a brief moment before she nodded.

“I must insist that participation remains voluntary,” she said. “And that medical teams monitor every session. Duration limits will be enforced. We do not push it beyond what the body and mind can sustain.”

Her gaze moved across the table.

“So. All in favor of us sharing this at the summit?”

Hands rose one after another without hesitation.

Choza. Hiashi. Tsume. Shibi. Shikaku. Homura. Koharu. Danzo. Minato.

Sasuke lifted his hand with them, his decision made long before the meeting began.

Tsunade gave a single nod. Even her hand was in the air.

“Unanimous,” she said with a sigh. "Choza Akamichi, do you have anything to share."

Choza stood up as Sasuke sat down.

“During the war,” Choza said, “there was an incident involving one of the Grass shinobi. Barumi. He ingested one of our clan’s red pills.”

That drew attention. Even without the Akimichi name attached, everyone in the room understood what that meant. The red pill stood at the far end of their clan’s techniques, a last resort that burned through the body as much as it empowered it.

“He should have died. That is the expected outcome outside of very specific circumstances. Instead, he remained stable long enough for Lady Katsuyu to intervene.”

Sasuke remembered the incident. He was downplaying how much Barumi's near sacrifice saved so many of their asses. His chief among them. It had also been damned awesome, already a legend among the shinobi of the world.

“Through chakra transfer,” Choza said, “she drained the excess as fast as his body produced it. The output was… substantial. Enough to redistribute across multiple units. Sustained for the duration of the technique.”

Shikaku’s eyes opened fully now.

“And the cost?”

Choza’s expression tightened.

“Extreme weight loss,” he said. “Artificial and rapid. The effects on him resembled full liposuction, which for a man of his mass was nearly life threatening.”

No one spoke for a moment. Sasuke let the information settle in his own mind. The red pill converted body fat into chakra. That part was known. What changed here was control.

"What about the green and yello?" asked Shibi. "Did he take those too?"

Choza shook his head.

"No. And that's what we think the mizzing variable was. We, the Akamichi, work our way up to the red pill. So whenever we use it as a last resort we are already suffering the ill eggects of hte green and yellow pills, both of which are substantial on their own. So ee have been testing whether this outcome can be reproduced.”

Tsume leaned forward before he could continue.

“Testing on what?” she asked. Her voice carried more edge than before. “Which animals?”

“Rats,” Choza answered. We fatten them. Administer the pill, or pills. Then drain the chakra output continuously until the effect ends. Or do you take umrage with experimenting on rats?”

Tsume held his gaze for a moment longer, then leaned back.

“Nope,” she said.

So there was an animal the dog woman didn't express insane maternal protective instincts for? Good to know.

Choza continued.

“All subjects have survived single use of the red pill. Drained or not. Green, plus yellow, plus red results in death every time sans medical intervention, which itself is only sufficient to save the life one in three times. We have not had time to test repeated application of single use red pills. We cannot fatten the rats up fast enough after their first use. But even a single cycle results in rapid mass loss and loose skin. We do not foresee multiple uses being adviseable.”

Sasuke ran the numbers in his head without needing to speak them. Input mass converted to chakra, stabilized through extraction, redistributed to active forces. The scale depended on supply of morbidly obese people, which weren't exactly common. Usually people with thyroid issues or the extremely wealthy. Neither of which usually make it into shinobi training.

Tsunade spoke.

“How do you intend to use this?”

Choza actually paused to consider his answer. For the first time, he looked uncomfortable.

“It would require… preparation,” he said. “Subjects with a sufficient body fat index. Trained enough to endure the process and remain stable under supervision. Noncombatants would suffice. We could use noncombatant shinobi, or soldiers who willingly, as standby reserves used to supply chakra during sustained engagements.”

He hesitated, then finished it.

“Prisoners could also serve.”

Tsunade’s gaze hardened.

“Do I need to explain every way this goes wrong medically?”

A few heads shifted. No one argued.

“It has not been tested in humans,” he said. “Animal survival does not guarantee human stability. The margin of error remains unknown.”

Shikaku nodded slightly.

“And scaling it introduces variables we cannot control yet.”

Sasuke agreed with the assessment. The method worked in principle. The data remained incomplete. Too many unknowns at the level they would need to rely on it.

Tsunade raised her hand.

“All in favor of presenting this at the summit?”

Not a single hand rose. The exact opposite of Sasuke's proposal.

Choza inclined his head once, accepting the decision with what looked like relief, before sitting back down next to Sasuke.

Next clockwise from Choza and Sasuke was Hiashi Hyuuga, who Tsunade merely nodded to in lieu of calling upon him.

He stood up and straightened his kimono before speaking.

“I would like to start by revealing a clan secret. The caged bird seal does not destroy the eyes of branch family members,” he said. “It seals them.”

That drew a shift in attention. Sasuke watched the room sharpen around the statement.

“Unsealing them is trivial,” Hiashi continued. “We preserve every sealed pair. So that in the event a Hyuuga loses an eye in combat, replacements are readily available.”

He let the room digest this revelation and the implications thereof.

“How many?” asked Sasuke

“Hundreds of pairs,” Hiashi said. “Comparable to the stock Obito Uchiha delivered to your clan.”

Sasuke shook his head once.

“I do not recommend what you are implying. Transplanted Sharingan hinder most recipients more than they help. They cannot be activated deactivated by non-Uchiha, unlike transplated byakugan. They drain chakra constantly.”

Hiashi nodded.

“You are right that Byakugan does not suffer from these limitations. Compatible hosts can activate and deactivate it at will. Its utility in large-scale engagements exceeds that of the Sharingan. Not to mention medicine, communication and tracking.”

He stared hard at Sasuke. Sasuke held his gaze, but said nothing. This wasn't a dick measurin contest.

“The Hyuuga are also viable hosts for transplanted Sharingan. Clan records indicate full control in such cases where a sharingan was transplanted to a Hyuuga in the past. Including the ability to activate and deactivate the pinwheel eyes. Even outside ideal conditions, suitable hosts are not difficult to find.”

That last point drew Tsunade in.

“Suitable hosts outside of the hyuuga are the problem,” she said. “Kakashi is proof of that. His body tolerates it, but poorly. We would need recipients with some degree of compatibility. Distant Uchiha relatives would be the first choice. After that, individuals with strong recovery traits. Uzumaki. Senju. Both are rare.”

Sasuke considered that. The idea had already moved beyond theory. No one questioned whether it could be done. Only how far they were willing to take it.

Shikaku spoke after a moment.

“If we open this up, we must control it tightly,” he said. “Otherwise it becomes a mess we can’t contain.”

Danzo nodded once.

“Land of Fire only,” she said. “Strict vetting. No exceptions.”

There were murmurs of agreement. They might be moving towards a more global union, but such unity didn't happen overnight.

Hiashi inclined his head slightly, then added, “Adoption or marriage into the Hyuuga or Uchiha clans – respectively - would solve most compatibility and control concerns. The caged bird seal ensures compliance where necessary. There are many who would gladly submit to both for the chance to wield the sharingan and or the byakugan.”

And or? Was he suggesting giving individuals a byakugan and a sharingan? Now there was a thought.

He tried not to allow the excitement at the epiphany that hit him to show on his face. He would have to discuss it with Itachi, but his unwillingness to unlock the mankegyu could become a non-issue. As his willingness to trade an eye with Naruto's girlfriend – well, one of them – might be sufficient for his desired level of advancement.

Sasuke let that sit in his mind for a moment. In addition to the control, loyalty, and continuation of bloodlines, it was all coelescing into something efficient and permanent.

Tsunade raised her hand.

“All in favor.”

Hands rose around the table. It wasn't unanimous this time, but it was the overwhelming majority. Tsunade and, strangely, Danzo were the big nay votes on that one.

Tsunade turned slightly, her gaze settling on the far end of the table.

“Aburame.”

Shibi inclined his head a fraction before standing as Hiashi sat down.

“There is a matter of long-term force development,” he said. “My clan, along with others such as the Kamizuru, has historically preserved several insect species considered too dangerous or too valuable to proliferate. Insects such as the Bikōchū, and other large endangered insext with comparable utility. Controlled breeding programs would increase availability. In sufficient numbers, they would provide reconnaissance, tracking, and battlefield disruption on a scale not currently achievable.”

The idea moved through the room with quiet resistance. Sasuke almost let out his objection to the man's real proposal, that they sacrifice all of the work that their nations had put into nature preservation. But then he recalled, against threats that made nature preservation a moot point, as the destruction of the whole world would mean extinction of those endangered species anyways.

It would be a very stupid arguement. But it still sat poorly with him that what the man was actually proposing was breaking what little international cooperation had existed in the past, nature preservation, for military purposes.

“Kamizuru won’t go for that,” Tsume said. “You’ll need their cooperation, and that history isn’t clean.”

“Not just them,” Choza added. “Other insect users have their own claims. Old disputes don’t disappear because we need something.”

“Coordination becomes the problem,” Shikaku said. “Too many parties, too much bad blood.”

Shibi let the objections stand until Danzo spoke.

“Then remove the fragmentation.”

The room shifted toward him.

“Perhap we should instead propose the the formation of a council,” he said. “All insect-using clans brought under a single governing body. Subordinate to the alliance. Standardize agreements. Centralize breeding and deployment.”

His eye settled briefly on Shibi.

“When we succeed in this, then you present the proposal to them. Assuming they don't propose it first. Surely they are having similar debates to ours right now.”

Sasuke considered that. The idea held water. Insect using clans held more bad blood between them than doujutsu clans... but unlike doujutsu clans, they likewise intermarried pretty often. How many Aburame and Kamizuru clan members had gone rogue in order to elope in the past? Had they reached the hundreds mark yet?

Seriously, the animal attraction between those two made Hinata look subtle in her designs for Naruto. Hell, it made Naruto's designs for Sakura look subtle.

He spoke before the silence stretched too far.

“Maybe we should suggest a similar councul for doujutsu users," he said.

Several heads turned.

“One member from each type of user,” Sasuke continued. “Sharingan, Rinnegan, Byakugan. Centralized oversight. Standardized use and distribution. I propose Itachi, Nagato and Hiashi as the three masters of their respective bloodlines.”

“Those are not the only dōjutsu in existence.” Hiashi corrected." A boy named Ranmaru possessed one. Rare, but documented. There are likely more. And then there's the the Ketsuryugan.”

“The Chinoike clan is gone.” Sasuke snapped.

Tsunade looked at him.

“So are the Uchiha, effectively. As are the Kaguya. But Kekkei genkai persist. Bloodlines scatter, then resurface. There will be survivors. Hidden or unrecognized.”

He sighed at the claim. He had no counterarguement. There was a near zero chance that the bloodline itself, that any bloodlines, was fully eradicated. Hell, even if it had been, distant relations could eventually just redevelop it. Two people with the recessive gene get together and PRESTO! Clan is reborn.

“Suna has a doujutsu too,” Danzo said. “A girl named Yome. Others in her family share it. They qualify for this proposed council”

That made five doujutsu. Three of which were under Konoha's control. Well, two and a half. There was no telling how many relatives of Ranmaru were out there, or where they were.

“Both proposals go forward,” she said. “Insect council. Dōjutsu council. We present them at the summit. All in favor?”

Once again, the votes were unanimous. With every hand in the air.

Tsunade’s gaze moved down the table.

“Inuzuka.”

Tsume stood and gave a short shake of her head.

“Nothing ready,” she said. “Not something I’d put in front of the other villages.”

Tsunade's gazed turned to the Nara head.

Shikaku didn't bother to stand up.

“Same,” he said. “Anything we’ve got needs more time before it becomes useful on that scale.”

She finally turned on Inoichi Yamanaka.

He reised his hands in surrender.

Tsunade accepted that without comment. Her attention returned to the room as a whole.

“Then we’re done here,” she said. “Get your people ready. We leave for the summit in the morning.”

Chairs shifted. The tension that had held steady through the meeting began to ease as people prepared to stand.

“Not yet.”

Danzo’s voice cut through the movement without raising in volume.

Sasuke sat back down with a sigh.

“There is one more resource we should consider presenting.”

Tsunade’s expression hardened slightly.

“Make it quick.”

Danzo inclined his head a fraction.

Two Root operatives entered without a sound, guiding two figures between them.

The first was a girl. Younger than Sasuke expected. Dirty blonde hair hung unevenly around her shoulders. Her posture was tight, controlled in the way of someone who had been taught etiquette as a member of a clan. Which one, he couldn't tell. The second person was the exact opposite of her. Dark, tall, pale and brooding. Kind of reminded Sasuke of himself. He stood a step behind her, wearing a blue kimono that marked him apart more than anything else in the room.

Sasuke studied them both, measuring chakra, posture and awareness. The older one held himself like a weapon kept sheathed. He wasn't sure he could take the guy. The girl was a noncombatant.

Danzo gestured toward them.

“Hotaru of the Tsuchigumo,” he said. “Bearer of the Gyoja kinjutsu. And Utakata. Jinchūriki of the Six-Tails.”

That got everyone's attention.

That was two impressive assets. How the hell did Danzo get those?

"I'm sorry." said Yome. "Tsuchikumo clan? Is that Gyojo?"

Danzo nodded.

“The Gyoja technique is a jutsu with similar effect to limelight. Save the user is the epicent,” he said. "It is capable of destroying an entire city per cast. Though risks killing the user.”

Sasuke watched the girl. She wilted from the attention.

“I propose controlled application,” Danzo said. “Implantation of the technique into suitable hosts. Specifically, those already conditioned for high chakra output.”

His eye shifted slightly.

“Orochimaru's cursed mark experiments, the ones currently being taught sage jutsu by master Jiraiya. They could be deployed as sacrificial units,” Danzo finished. “Maximum damage. Minimal resource expenditure.”

Tsunade answered him rather curtly.

“No.”

Her voice carried enough force to halt the room again.

“We are not turning people into bombs,” she said. “I don’t care how effective it is. That line stays where it is.”

Shikaku leaned forward slightly, attention fixed on Danzo now.

“Disregarding the moral cost. It’s inefficient,” he said. “Even if we ignore the ethics, it doesn’t scale. If what we’re dealing with out there matches the projections, then we’re outnumbered by a margin that makes kamikaze tactics a losing strategy.”

Inoichi tapped a finger once against the table.

“You don’t trade one body for a thousand targets when the enemy has ten thousand bodies for each of yours..”

Danzo didn't argue the math. As if he could.

“It remains an option,” he said. "For forces that are otherwise incapable of continuing the fight. I meant to suggest it as a last resort, or method for otherwise powerful noncombatants, like the aforementioned curse mark experiments. Their minds and bodies are ruined beyond repair, and this method would at least make them productive in war."

Sasuke scoffed mirthlessly. He was right in that regard. But it was still a stupid suggestion as it was entirely uneccesary. His next words came out of his mouth before his brain caught up.

“Gee,” he said, voice dry, “if only we knew someone with effectively unlimited chakra who could create expendable copies of himself and was experienced in using them for kamikaze tactics.”

Every head in the room turned toward him.

Some even gawked at him as the visual imagination caught up to the words that just came out of Sasuke's mouth.

Sasuke held his breath for a second, then exhaled.

“I said that out loud.”

No one laughed. The idea hung there, fully formed and impossible to ignore once spoken. Even Sasuke saw in his minds eye the absolute devastation of a thousand Naruto clones performing such a jutsu in unison.

Tsunade closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again.

“We are not discussing that,” she said. “Not here. And we will not be making such a proposal at teh summit. Or does anybody disagree.”

Danzo was the only one to raise his hand at the suggestion. Seeing he was outvoted, he tilted his head in deference.

“Then we table the proposal,” he said.

“Meeting adjourned,” she said. “We move at first light.”

Sasuke rose with the rest, the last exchange settling into his thoughts as something that would give even him nightmares.