(Damn it. Why'd he have to tell me all that?)
Link lay in bed feeling a bit troubled.
If he'd stayed ignorant, he could've simply continued with his training. But after learning that his own subconscious was the culprit, he couldn't help worrying: What if the ninjutsu he tries to learn from here on out no longer mutates?
(Maybe letting someone's genjutsu override all my defenses is an opportunity…?)
Right then, he recalled Tobirama's meaningful expression and question:
"Are you willing to trust someone enough to let them control you completely?"
(Don't underestimate my tolerance, you jerk…)
If using genjutsu to manipulate his subconscious could actually make anything possible—like a sort of wishing machine—then what might he do first? He'd start bending the world to his own liking, obviously.
"Ugh!"
He flopped onto the pillow, listening to the heavy downpour outside. His thoughts flickered to Sasuke, to Utakata, to countless plans swirling in his head, until he finally dozed off.
He hadn't slept properly in the last three days—ever since becoming Hokage, he'd been stuck at the office day and night.
(It's not easy being the Sixth Hokage…)
Upon waking, it was still dark—probably his body clock adapting to the schedule. This time he roused on his own without the Anbu's prodding, and just as naturally had his shadow clones get everything in order. In short, he dressed up, lay on a lounge chair, and let his shadows carry him into the Hokage's office.
After processing the intel that had arrived overnight, he felt more awake.
Iwagakure had made a move.
Link noticed that Kusagakure's ninja had "incidentally" crossed the border multiple times last night. Like the old proverb, grass can turn into a "grass-ninja turncoat." In the Third Great Ninja War, Kusa allied with Konoha only to betray them.
That was how the Kannabi Bridge mission happened. Iwa-nin used Grass territory to slip silently into the Land of Fire and nearly annihilated Konoha's defensive forces.
Now, with this massive explosion and chaos in the Land of Fire, Kusagakure leaning toward an already aggressive Iwagakure seemed plausible enough—just like history repeating itself.
(Same old trick, I guess?)
His fingers tapped the desk. Eyes closed, he pondered the next steps. The two advisors, being elder folks, had woken at 4:30 a.m. already, but they left his messages on read without replying, evidently forcing him to handle this himself.
"Utakata." Link opened his eyes.
"Here," said Utakata, stepping out from the shadows.
Lately, with "First" Hashirama away—replanting the entire Land of Fire after that fiasco, or attending strategy sessions in the Second Parallel World about Kaguya—Utakata now filled the role of the Hokage's bodyguard. He'd previously had a relaxed schedule, but circumstances changed.
"Take Karin and go investigate Kusagakure." Link directed.
Nominally, Kusa was still an ally, so sending official Anbu or top-level jōnin might prove ineffective. If Kusa had truly sided with Iwa, or if they'd grown hostile, Konoha's envoys might be "officially" turned away or even set up for a trap.
Plus, Konoha had a manpower shortage: many elites were stationed in the Second Parallel World, drawn by the lure of resurrection or to care for their resurrected kin. Like Kurenai's father, Might Guy's father—plenty of older folks had come back.
Rather than overstretch Konoha's limited Anbu, sending Karin—already labeled a missing-nin—together with violent sensor-nin Utakata (a reliable Jinchūriki of the Six-Tails) seemed better. A medical sensor plus a brute sensor.
If they encountered trouble, they could request help via Link's "Net" jutsu and hopefully kill or escape as needed.
(This real-time, range-free communication is truly OP.)
His mind drifted for a moment. Utakata nodded.
"Stay safe, and contact me if anything happens. I'll investigate quickly and return."
"Have a good trip." Link set down his Hokage's hat, smiling. "Check in regularly."
Utakata waved and vanished with a whoosh—out the window.
(Ugh, again with the window… No one around here uses doors.)
Link had the shadows close it. Rain hammered the glass. With the newly blasted coastline just a dozen kilometers away, half vaporized by magma, half flooded by the sea, Konoha had seen nonstop downpours these past two days.
He wondered how long it would last.
(I've decided: once I've got that "wish-fulfillment" power, the first thing I do is fix Konoha's damn weather.)
He chuckled at the idea, then got back to work.
Sixth Hokage, huh?
Sixth Hokage = donkey's workload, that's what.
…
Another day, midmorning, Training Ground Seven.
"Link, I heard you needed me for something?"
Main World Sasuke still wore his usual white robe. No denying it looked stylish, but kind of weird for an aspiring pastry chef (?)—still, he seemed to don it almost constantly.
(I see him wearing that white outfit a lot…)
Noticing Link's pensive stare, Sasuke smirked.
"I bought multiple sets of the same clothes," he said, reading Link's thoughts with some amusement.
"Ahem…"
Link coughed, trying to save face. Then he explained his mutated-ninjutsu logic:
"I'm hoping your genjutsu can help me see if it's possible for my ninjutsu to mutate when I think I'm learning something brand new."
He wanted Sasuke to cast an illusion so convincing that Link himself couldn't tell it was fake. If that succeeded, maybe he'd unconsciously trigger new ninjutsu variations.
But that was dangerous—relying on illusions so thoroughly as to lose track of reality. Letting someone else hijack his mind was unsettling.
Despite all that, he'd never succumbed to illusions before. Even the idea made him uncomfortable.
"I see." Main World Sasuke nodded, Mangekyō in his eyes flickering. Then he withdrew the Sharingan's glow.
An instant later, Link's muscles relaxed, his gaze losing focus, as if he were sinking into a trance.
~~~
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