It's Too Troublesome to be Hokage

"One mission, three rewards, a win-win for all three parties… no, I won three times!"

Looking at the two A-rank and one B-rank [Ninja Secret Scrolls] displayed on his panel, Nara Shikadan was practically glowing with joy.

"Old man Kakuzu… what a generous soul!"

Through this mission, Shikadan felt as if he had stumbled upon a hidden exploit in the [Lazy Ghost System].

Did he kill Kakuzu? Yes—twice.

Is Kakuzu still alive? Most definitely.

Did he complete the battle mission?

Nope. But just before failure, he triggered a speedrun, and still got the reward.

"So if the enemy is still alive, as long as I eliminate him again, I can complete the mission, bypass the cooldown, and claim another reward…"

Excellent.

Shikadan felt the mechanics click into place.

Whether it was a bug in Kakuzu's biology or a loophole in the [Lazy Ghost System], he didn't care.

All that mattered was—

He could milk it for more!

"In theory, I can get up to five A-rank rewards for Kakuzu's A-rank battle mission!"

"Of course, for sustainable growth, I'd have to destroy his four remaining hearts first, and then go for a final speedrun…"

Shikadan's supposedly "pure" heart was now teeming with devious ideas.

"Also, while there aren't many in the ninja world as hard to kill as Kakuzu, he's not the only one either…"

"This flexible 'kill-two-birds-with-one-stone' reward mechanism might be replicable… How wonderful that would be!"

While Shikadan mentally reviewed potential multi-life targets across the shinobi world, the Ino–Shika–Cho team remained on full alert.

Unlike Shikadan, they didn't have a system panel to tell them that Kakuzu had already fled the battlefield.

So all they could do was remain vigilant and stick close together, scanning for danger.

The three of them were in poor condition.

After taking the brunt of "Lightning Release: Pseudo Darkness," Akimichi Choza looked utterly battered—his body charred, armor cracked, skin still steaming as though he'd been half-cooked by high-voltage current.

Nara Shikano, standing nearby, was pale and visibly drained, having overdrawn his chakra reserves.

Only Yamanaka Inoichi remained in relatively good shape.

"Choza, get the Three-Color Pills ready," Shikano instructed calmly.

He knew Choza was running on fumes, but there were no better options.

"Inoichi, expand your perception. Find our enemy's location."

Despite their seamless cooperation and deep bond, the Ino–Shika–Cho trio were clearly struggling with the sheer scale of this "cross-level challenge."

Kakuzu wasn't just strong—he was a small hexagonal monster.

Even for Jonin of equal rank, it would be difficult to counter Kakuzu's five-nature assault. And for the trio, already outmatched in raw power and lacking intel?

A losing battle—if not for the mysterious hidden ally.

Had that "invisible ninja" not intervened, at least one of them might have died.

Now, with Kakuzu missing and no clear sign of him, all the trio could do was group up back-to-back and keep watch.

Choza's face was serious as he took a small transparent box from his ninja pouch.

Inside were three colored pills—red, yellow, and green.

This was the Akimichi clan's last resort...

"Uncle Shikano," Inoichi spoke, eyes focused on a patch of empty space. "I can't sense Kakuzu anymore."

"But the other ninja is still there. He hasn't moved at all."

"An invisibility technique?"

Shikano turned his head in the indicated direction.

"Not very friendly to regular folks like us…"

His voice rose.

"Friend!"

"Kakuzu is gone. We're leaving now!"

Even if they couldn't confirm if the "invisible ninja" was friend or foe, one thing was certain—the Ino–Shika–Cho team didn't want to continue this battle in their current state.

"Uncle Shikano, the invisible ninja just escaped underground. It seems he's pursuing Kakuzu."

Inoichi's report continued.

"Earth Release technique, plus optical camouflage… it matches intel about Iwagakure's secret arts. Lady Tsunade updated that report just a few days ago."

"He might be from Iwagakure."

Shikano nodded, but remained cautious.

One thing was certain—the invisible ninja wasn't from Konoha.

Why?

Simple: if he were, he would've joined them by now.

"Iwagakure ninja… chasing Kakuzu? Or maybe spying on the Land of Fire? Could be a spy from another village…"

Shikano's thoughts swirled, but nothing concrete emerged.

"Forget it. I'll dump the whole thing on the Third Hokage when I get back."

"Inoichi, let's gather the kids—never mind. Let's go to them instead."

"Choza, hang in there a bit longer."

The Ino–Shika–Cho trio moved to regroup with their backup team.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Asuma's squad had just reached an open clearing and was waiting in silence.

Shikadan subtly bent down—under the guise of adjusting his gear—and picked up the ring with the [Chakra Crystal], slipping it back on his finger.

During the battle with Kakuzu, the [Shadow Clone] had used [Camouflage Invisibility] via this ring.

After all, a clone could only use [Yin Release] techniques learned by the original body—[Camouflage Invisibility] was not among them.

"By the way… this fight helped me realize something."

Shikadan traced the cool ring surface and drifted into thought.

"At its core, [Camouflage Invisibility] is chakra manipulation at the molecular level. It doesn't affect the substance itself."

"The jutsu wraps a film of water molecules around a body or object to bend light—an optical camouflage technique."

"So, instead of creating an 'invisible shadow,' I should apply this water molecule layer around the shadow itself—camouflaging its movement trajectory."

"Specifically, I need to convert the chakra used for [Camouflage Invisibility] from standard chakra to Yin Release chakra—essentially making it a Yin-based ninjutsu."

Shikadan's eyes lit up as he pieced the theory together.

Now was a good time to check the contents of the scrolls he'd earned.

The panel unfolded before him.

Shikadan focused on the three [Ninja Secret Scrolls].

He decided to start with the B-rank one first—best to "soften the blade" before the big ones.

[Opening…]

[B-Rank Ninja Secret Scroll Contents: Technique]

[B-Rank Technique: Earth Release – Earth Spear]

[Technique Description: Your body hardens to resist all damage, like a diamond.]

[Effect: Uses Earth chakra to harden the skin, boosting defense and physical strength. Increases attack power as well. Highly versatile.]

[Technique Evaluation: Hey! Iron Body!]

"Earth Release: Earth Spear! That's old man Kakuzu's defense technique!"

Shikadan's eyes sparkled.

He had been deeply impressed by the jutsu that tanked Choza's "Meat Bullet Needle Chariot" earlier.

But the rewards didn't stop there.

[You have learned the B-Rank technique Earth Release – Earth Spear.]

[Your attributes [Ninjutsu] and [Wisdom] have increased.]

[Overall Evaluation: B- (Special Jonin) → B (Jonin)]

"A single B-rank defense technique boosted both survivability and rank…!"

Shikadan exhaled slowly to calm his emotions.

"Still, the speed penalty during casting, and its weakness to Lightning Release, can't be ignored."

Without hesitation, he opened the first A-rank scroll.

[Opening…]

[A-Rank Ninja Secret Scroll Contents: Technique]

[A-Rank Technique: Flame Wind Wave]

[Description: Compound Ninjutsu—Wind and Fire combo.]

[Effect: Simultaneously casts Fire Style: Head Hard Work and Wind Style: Suppression. Fire feeds wind, wind spreads fire, creating a massive inferno.]

[Evaluation: Ah! This wind! Ah! This fire!]

Shikadan frowned slightly.

Compared to Earth Spear, this looked flashier but offered less practical value.

"It's just a compound version of two B-rank jutsu… Not bad, but no real power jump."

He paused, waited a moment, then opened the final scroll.

[Opening…]

[A-Rank Ninja Secret Scroll Contents: Miscellaneous Item]

[Item: Nature Mask Forging Method]

[Description: Knowledge and crafting technique.]

[Effect: Allows creation of chakra-infused [Nature Masks] tied to elemental properties. Once worn, the mask's chakra can be drawn freely. The max quality is A-rank, based on chakra investment.]

[Evaluation: Ox Warrior (✘) – Ninja (✔) never takes off his mask.]

"Interesting…"

Kakuzu's strength really was no joke.

Mastery over all five elemental releases was already rare to the point of absurdity.

For most shinobi, there was simply no easy counter.

Barring Lightning Release, no element could bypass his Earth Spear defense.

Genjutsu didn't work on Earth Grudge Fear either—his body could move independently of his consciousness.

And his combat experience was vast and overwhelming.

Calling Kakuzu a "small hexagonal warrior"?

Shikadan thought it was almost too modest.

[Nature Mask]

Inspired by the masked forms of Kakuzu's elemental hearts.

A forgeable ninja tool—one that might change the game entirely.

-End Chapter-

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