Power Stone Goals from now on: I always post a minimum of 5 chapters. Henceforth the following are the goals:
Every 150 powerstones, I upload an extra chapter.
If we hit top 30 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we hit top 10 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we are top 5...well lets get to that first. Happy readings!
Chapter 84: Choices
The aftermath of what I had just witnessed was not something I felt inclined to revisit, nor something I could afford to dwell on. I didn't need to rationalize my decision to retreat; it was embedded in the very way my feet moved—quick, purposeful, and committed to distance. There was no scenario in which remaining in that place would serve any purpose, especially not after everything I had already endured inside that otherworldly portal. I had neither the stamina nor the interest to push my luck further.
It wasn't merely about fatigue, though that was certainly a factor. The encounter with the entity known as the Mime had drained more than chakra—it had taxed my understanding of what was real and what was simply tolerated by the system. And now, with Matatabi silent—whether resting or simply withdrawn—I wasn't in a position to act recklessly. Her presence had always been steady, quiet, and powerful, but I understood her well enough to know that if she wasn't responding, it meant she needed time. Time I could afford to give her.
Engaging the two individuals from the Akatsuki was out of the question. Even if I had chosen to transform, to draw on the full form of the Two-Tails and use everything at my disposal, it would've created more problems than it solved. Transformation on that scale wasn't something I could conceal. If either of them survived the confrontation, word would spread. And with my current status as a missing-nin, I wouldn't be difficult to track. The last thing I needed was to become the most hunted individual on the continent.
Somewhere behind me, faint and almost carried by the wind, I could just make out voices.
"Let him go, Kanzō."
There was a beat.
"What? Why?"
"He's not involved. Just another Elite Jonin. He's not part of what we're here to do."
It didn't surprise me. Their priority was the mine, and I was an unknown variable—hardly worth their time if they had already accomplished what they came for. Regardless of their reasoning, I didn't pause to analyze it. I had created enough space by then that I could afford to focus elsewhere.
I maintained my pace until I was confident that I had reached a sufficient distance from the destruction. Traveling under the sustained pressure of the Seventh Gate was never without cost, and the moment I felt the strain begin to dull into fatigue, I deactivated it. The resulting drop in internal pressure brought some relief, even if my body would take a while to settle fully.
Standing in a quiet clearing just beyond the outer ridges, I formed the hand seals for the Shadow Clone Jutsu and summoned ten clones. They each dispersed in different directions, their task simple: confuse any would-be trackers and ensure my route remained hidden.
But I had no intention of returning to the Land of Iron yet. The Shadow Summit was still more than a day away, and before that deadline arrived, there was something else I needed to attend to.
With a familiar motion, I bit my thumb, wiped the blood across my palm, and pressed it to the earth. A simple sequence, but one I never tired of.
Summoning Technique.
With a quiet puff of chakra, Yoru appeared before me. The small black cat blinked once, then let out a chirp of recognition before bounding toward me with her usual enthusiasm. She leapt up against my chest, her paws steady, her eyes bright with something close to relief.
"Shikomu," she said, her tone cheerful and full of familiarity.
I let out a breath that wasn't quite a sigh.
There were always going to be more missions. More obligations. More decisions that felt heavier than they had any right to. But just for this moment, there was no harm in holding the one companion who never asked anything of me other than to be there.
Everything else could wait.
"So, Yoru," I said casually as I settled onto a broad tree branch, one leg swinging slightly over the edge while my fingers continued to gently stroke the soft fur of the black cat now sprawled across my lap. Her purring was steady, and from the way she leaned into the motion of my hand, she had no complaints about the attention she was receiving. "Did your mother get in contact with you recently?"
Yoru tilted her head, ears flicking back and forth in idle thought. "Hmm," she said aloud, as if the idea hadn't quite settled. "I think she mentioned something… Something I was supposed to tell you."
I raised an eyebrow at her, pausing the motion of my hand.
She remained thoughtful, her expression scrunching slightly as she tried to recall, though from the lazy stretch of her limbs and the way her tail flicked rhythmically, it didn't seem like urgency was on her mind.
Watching her fumble mentally, I deadpanned and reached into one of my storage seals, pulling out a neatly wrapped piece of preserved fish. I dangled it in front of her, and immediately her eyes lit up, posture changing entirely.
"Yes, yes! I remember now," she said, practically vibrating with sudden focus. "Mother said to tell you that she wants you to come see her as soon as possible." She leapt up, attempting to grab the fish with both paws.
"When did she tell you that?" I asked, keeping the fish just out of reach.
She paused mid-pounce, landing back onto the branch and blinking up at me with wide, innocent eyes.
"About four days ago."
"And when, exactly, were you planning to mention that?" I asked.
"You didn't summon me," she shot back, voice rising defensively. "It's not my fault you don't check in."
With a resigned sigh, I finally handed her the fish, which she caught immediately and began nibbling with great satisfaction. "Alright, alright," I said, giving her a faint smile. "Then I guess we'd better head back to Moon Shadow Clan territory."
She didn't respond verbally, too focused on her prize to offer anything more than a pleased hum.
Once she was distracted enough, I reached over, dispelled her summoning with a casual seal release, plucked the fish from her confused paws just before the technique fully ended, and resealed it for later. A harmless little payback.
Seconds later, I focused my chakra and activated the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.
The world around me blinked out of existence, and in the next moment, I stood in the cool interior of the Moon Shadow Clan's hidden domain—a cavern system filled with faint bioluminescent light and the ever-present hum of chakra-preserving barriers that made the air feel slightly thicker than anywhere else I had been.
Yoru reappeared instantly, not summoned but arriving naturally through her own means. She jumped onto my shoulder, bit my ear sharply, and glared at me.
"Hey! Give me back my fish!"
"You dropped it," I replied, walking forward casually as I ignored her dramatic scolding. "If you weren't so slow, you might have had it with you."
"I didn't drop it! You reversed the summoning before I could bring it with me!" she huffed, her tiny voice carrying all the weight of genuine grievance.
"Not my problem. Welcome to the real world, kiddo," I replied with mock sympathy.
She continued to bite my ear and mumble little curses under her breath, but I had long since learned how to filter out her theatrics. As I walked further into the stone corridors.
She was already there, seated in her usual place on the raised stone dais, her posture graceful and alert.
Without pausing, I gave a slight bow of my head.
Her gaze drifted from the scroll she had been reviewing, and though her expression didn't change much, I could tell she had been expecting me.
"It's about time," she said simply, folding the scroll and setting it aside. "We have much to discuss."
It seems like you have merged with the Two-Tails well," Yoru's mother commented. I nodded at that.
"Anyways, regarding the issue of Sage Jutsu that you wanted me to figure out," she began, "I was able to bargain something with the Toads."
A couple of weeks ago, I had the idea of integrating my entire arsenal into one specialized path of fighting. But to do that, I needed help. So I asked Yoru to ask her mother. To gain access to Sage Chakra, one must go through one of the three main animal clans: slugs, snakes, or frogs. Every other animal clan doesn't have access to Sage Jutsu.
Luckily for me, the Moonshadow Clan was only antagonistic toward the snakes. They were neutral to both the slugs and frogs. Yoru's mother had an old contact among the frogs, and after some bargaining, she managed to arrange for them to give me passage.
"They are ready to begin whenever you are," she said.
I paused for a moment. I was ready to go right now. But before I could speak, Yoru, perched on my shoulder, touched my cheek with her paw. "Shikomu, if you go to the Land of the Frogs, you're not going to be able to go to your blacksmith," she said.
I frowned. What was the stupid black cat talking about? Then I remembered Yoru's special power.
"What do you mean?" her mother asked, clearly used to her antics.
"I'm not so sure myself, Mother," Yoru replied. "All I know is, if Shikomu goes to the Land of the Toads, he won't be able to get the blacksmith he should. He will have to wait a long, long time for it."
That made me pause. The Land of Iron was currently flooded with Kage-level shinobi. Either I had to infiltrate the Shogun's manor, where every single Kage-level shinobi would be for the next few days, and retrieve this secret blacksmith—or take the safe route with the frogs.
It was suicidal. But clearly, even through Yoru's weird powers, I was being pushed toward that route.
Still, I didn't want to let go of my chance at Sage Jutsu either.
"Well, then I guess there's only one way to do this," I said, as I moved my hands to make a hand sign.
…
Authors note:
You can read some chapters ahead if you want to on my p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator