Chapter 326: Developing the Flying Thunder God Array Technique; Peace Has Never Been Begged For [HN]

Konoha’s mornings always began with cooking smoke and the shouts from the training grounds.

Chiya gently closed the door to his residence, leaving Tsunade and little Mirai sleeping peacefully behind him.

He took a deep breath of the air, which carried the fresh scent of morning dew, and felt much of the exhaustion from the previous night wash away.

Being a father was a strange feeling, a heavy responsibility filled with warmth.

Every tiny expression Mirai made, even the unconscious little movements of her lips, could tug at his heartstrings.

Mikoto’s due date was also approaching, and the doubled anticipation and busyness had made the pace of life for this Hokage even faster.

‘I have to get several of the village’s major projects properly organized before Mikoto gives birth. After all, Amegakure has been waiting for this for so long, and they even sent Konan here specifically to oversee the work.’

As he thought about this, his feet unconsciously turned toward Konoha Hospital.

It was not that he was worried.

He simply wanted to take a distant look at the little life that also carried his blood, as well as the gentle yet resilient woman carrying it.

However, just as he reached the tree lined path near the hospital, an unexpected figure stopped in front of him.

It was Yūhi Kurenai.

She seemed to have just finished her morning training, and fine beads of sweat still covered her forehead.

Her beautiful black hair was tied high, revealing her smooth forehead and those ruby like eyes filled with determination and persistence.

Her breathing was slightly hurried, but her posture remained straight.

Clearly, her intense training during this period had allowed her to improve considerably.

“Hokage sama!”

Kurenai’s voice was clear and forceful, carrying an unmistakable determination.

Chiya stopped and looked at her in surprise.

“Kurenai? This early in the morning. Is something wrong?”

Kurenai took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes without the slightest hesitation.

“I’m here to report to you! I successfully passed the Jonin examination. This is my appointment document!”

She handed him a scroll with both hands.

Her movements were crisp and decisive, and her eyes shone brightly, as though saying, ‘Look, I accomplished the first step you asked of me!’

Chiya was slightly stunned.

He took the scroll and opened it for a quick look.

It was indeed an official Jonin appointment, and the evaluation from the examination even described her performance as excellent.

He raised his head and looked at the girl before him.

She had shed some of her youthful innocence and gained considerably more competence and sharpness.

He could not help feeling a little emotional.

Back then, he had casually told her, “Become a Jonin first, then we’ll talk.”

Who would have thought that she would actually take those words as her goal and work so desperately to achieve it?

“Congratulations, Kurenai.”

Chiya put away the scroll and smiled approvingly.

“You’re very capable. Konoha’s future needs new generation Jonin like you.”

After receiving his recognition, Kurenai’s eyes instantly lit up.

However, she quickly suppressed her excitement, and her tone remained serious, even carrying a hint of challenge.

“Then, Hokage sama, am I qualified now to stand a little closer to you?”

The implication behind those words was almost impossible to conceal.

Chiya looked at the burning, passionate flame in her eyes.

He understood.

This girl’s persistence was even stronger than he had imagined.

Just then, a cool voice came from nearby.

“Chiya kun.”

Chiya and Kurenai turned their heads at the same time.

Konan had arrived at some point.

She was still wearing a simple and elegant robe, and the light blue paper flower in her hair looked exceptionally clean beneath the morning sunlight.

She carried an exquisite food container in her hand.

Her calm gaze swept over Kurenai before finally settling on Chiya.

“Konan? What brings you here?”

Chiya was somewhat surprised.

“Lady Tsunade gave birth safely, so I prepared some nourishing soup. It will help with her recovery after childbirth.”

Konan’s voice was as calm as ever, but her icy blue eyes always became slightly softer whenever she looked at Chiya.

She walked to his side and naturally handed him the food container.

Her movements were so familiar that it seemed as though she had always done this.

Only then did she seem to notice Kurenai, and she gave her a slight nod.

“Good morning, Jonin Yūhi Kurenai.”

She deliberately emphasized the word Jonin.

Her tone revealed no emotion, yet it invisibly drew a line between them.

She knew that Kurenai had just been promoted, and she was also making it clear that the way she addressed Chiya, as well as her relationship with him, was more intimate.

Kurenai immediately sensed this invisible declaration.

She straightened her back and responded without showing the slightest weakness.

“Good morning, Lady Konan. Your concern for the Hokage sama is truly thorough.”

She deliberately used a respectful form of address, emphasizing the distance between them in the same way.

Yet there was a faint edge hidden within her words.

The gazes of the two women briefly met in the air.

There were no sparks flying, but a subtle atmosphere filled with hidden currents began to spread.

Chiya stood between them and felt as though the air around him had become slightly more stagnant.

He rubbed his nose and tried to break the strange atmosphere.

“Thank you, Konan. I’ll thank Tsunade on her behalf for the soup. Kurenai, you’ve worked hard too, coming here so early to report. Everything is… pretty good.”

Konan turned toward Chiya, her tone gentle yet firm.

“Chiya nii, the soup will be more effective while it is still hot. How about I accompany you to deliver it to Lady Tsunade? I also have some specific details about the next stage of the education cooperation between the Land of Rain and Konoha that I would like to discuss with you on the way.”

Seeing that Konan was about to take action, Kurenai immediately became anxious.

She quickly stepped between the two of them and immediately spoke up.

“Hokage sama, regarding the assignments for my team leadership duties after being promoted to Jonin, as well as my ideas for the practical application of a new technique combining Genjutsu and Taijutsu that I’ve developed, I would also like to report them to you as soon as it is convenient!”

Both women were speaking to him, and both pairs of eyes were focused on Chiya.

He suddenly felt a burning tension in the air.

It was far more intense than an ordinary sense of tension.

This was clearly a silent battle for his attention.

Konan relied on her special position and her close connection with Chiya through their work.

Kurenai, on the other hand, relied on being one of Konoha’s own, giving her more opportunities to stay close to him, as well as her wholehearted and passionate feelings for him.

“Well…”

Chiya took a deep breath and brought out the decisiveness of the Hokage.

“Konan, I’ll thank Tsunade for the soup first. As for the cooperation details, we’ll discuss them in the Hokage Building later. Kurenai, go to Shikaku to confirm your mission assignments. As for your new technique, write up a report and submit it. I’ll go through it carefully.”

He adopted a strictly businesslike attitude, trying to temporarily send both of them away.

Konan looked deeply at Chiya but said nothing more.

She simply nodded lightly.

“All right. I’ll come to the office later to find you.”

With that, she turned and left gracefully, her back still as cool and distant as ever.

Kurenai pursed her lips, seemingly wanting to say something else.

But when she saw the unquestionable look in Chiya’s eyes, she finally responded.

“Yes, Hokage sama.”

She bowed before turning to leave.

As she walked away, her lips curled downward.

Then she turned around again and quickly returned to Chiya.

Chiya looked at the girl standing close in front of him.

Before he could speak, she suddenly moved toward him.

He felt a soft warmth against his lips, and the girl immediately pulled away.

“Hokage sama, I’ll put a little stamp on it first. I’m leaving!!”

Kurenai hurried away.

Chiya habitually smacked his lips a few times.

It seemed a little sweet.

He watched the two women leave and let out a long sigh of relief.

This already had all the signs of becoming a battlefield between women.

He would have to handle things carefully in the future.

He shook his head, picked up the food container, and continued toward the hospital.

Building his family and building the village were certainly both important.

But it seemed that he would also have to work hard to master the delicate balance of his relationships.

…

Inside the Hokage Building, documents were still piled up like mountains, but Chiya had already become quite accustomed to handling them.

Thanks to the efficient assistance of Nara Shikaku, Namikaze Minato, and Teuchi, the three pillars of the cabinet, most village affairs could already receive proper preliminary handling before reaching his desk.

He had just finished approving an application to expand the Child Ninja Basic Education Class beside the Uchiha Clan compound.

This was naturally thanks to Uchiha Hikari and Izumi.

Their teaching results were obvious to everyone, attracting more and more families to send their children there.

The concept of a preschool class had also become popular throughout Konoha for a time.

Not long afterward, there was a knock on the office door.

“Come in.”

Namikaze Minato entered with a warm smile on his face.

Ever since he and Kushina had given birth to the twins, Naruto and Karin, the smile that had always been gentle on Minato’s face had become even more infectious.

“Hokage sama, I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“It’s fine, Minato. Sit down.”

Chiya put down his pen and smiled.

“Judging from your expression, is there good news?”

Minato nodded, his eyes shining.

“It’s about the results of the Flying Thunder God technique. With the assistance of the Sealing Corps and the Scientific Academy, we successfully developed the Flying Thunder God Array Technique.”

He took out a palm sized scroll made from a special material.

“Although it cannot instantly transport living beings for now, it can achieve fixed point rapid transmission of small, highly important supplies. It can be used for emergency supply distribution and intelligence transmission.”

Chiya took the scroll and carefully sensed the structure of the technique inside.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared in his eyes.

This was undoubtedly a revolutionary improvement for the logistics and intelligence systems.

Chiya vaguely remembered that during the Fourth Shinobi World War, this Flying Thunder God Array Technique had actually been used to transport living people.

“Very well done, Minato! Once this technique matures, Konoha’s mobility and emergency response capabilities will undergo a qualitative improvement. By the way, how exactly are the marking points established?”

“Orochimaru provided the key stabilization method for the chakra conduction materials.”

Minato could not help sighing with emotion.

“Lord Orochimaru is still as impressive as ever. He seems to be completely immersed in his research, and his efficiency is astonishing.”

Chiya nodded in satisfaction.

Guiding Orochimaru onto the right path was one of the decisions he considered to have been the most correct.

Just as he was preparing to discuss the details of laying out the coordinate network with Minato, an ANBU suddenly appeared.

“Hokage sama, urgent intelligence.”

The ANBU shinobi knelt on one knee and handed over a sealed intelligence report.

“The border patrol team discovered a small group of unidentified shinobi operating at the border between the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Fire. They are suspected to be… Kumo ANBU. The other side was extremely cautious. As soon as they were discovered, they immediately retreated. No conflict occurred.”

Chiya took the intelligence report and quickly read through it.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Kumogakure still isn’t willing to give up.’

On the surface, they had sent Samui to deliver congratulatory gifts and express their desire for cooperation.

Behind the scenes, however, they were still testing Konoha’s border defenses.

‘Do they want to see whether this sword of mine is still sharp?’

“Understood. Increase the number of patrols, especially in the border regions adjoining the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth. Activate the new warning barrier. Report immediately if there is any abnormal activity. Also, notify the Root intelligence department and have them focus on analyzing recent supply movements and mission assignments from Kumogakure and Iwagakure.”

“Yes!”

The ANBU shinobi accepted the order and disappeared with the Body Flicker Technique.

Minato’s expression also became serious.

“Kumogakure… It seems A still isn’t willing to accept this.”

“It’s nothing.”

Chiya placed the intelligence report to the side, his tone calm yet filled with absolute confidence.

“They don’t dare come openly. They can only sneak around in secret. That alone shows how wary they are of Konoha. As long as we are strong enough, these petty provocations are nothing more than a minor irritation.”

He looked at Minato.

“Speed up the construction of the coordinate network. At the same time, move the joint training between the Taijutsu Class and Ninjutsu Class onto the schedule. The Taijutsu Class is ultimately just a specialized class. In the end, its value still has to be demonstrated through comprehensive combat. We need to show the outside world that Konoha’s younger generation is not only outstanding in Taijutsu, but has also kept pace in traditional Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and tactical cooperation.”

“Understood!”

Minato nodded solemnly, his eyes filled with confidence in the future.

Chiya walked to the window and looked out at the flourishing Konoha.

The small challenges from outside only strengthened his determination to make Konoha even stronger.

Peace has never been something that can be begged for.

It is something that must be defended with strength.