I Just Wanted to Slack Off, But I Was Forced to Become Hokage

Chapter 33: A New Direction for an S-Rank Family Mission!

Such powerful energy!

Holding the [Chakra Crystal], Nara Keisuke felt as if he were holding a vast, boundless ocean. Compared to the immense amount of chakra contained within this crystal, his [Stamina], which he had just raised to C- rank this morning, seemed like a mere trickling stream, incredibly faint.

'The chakra reserve problem that has been deeply troubling me seems to have really been solved.' An emotion of immense surprise and satisfaction arose in Keisuke's heart. 'A problem I thought I could only solve by constantly popping pills has been taken care of in a single step!'

According to Keisuke's initial calculations, at his current rate of pill consumption, it would have taken him at least another month to raise his [Stamina] to B-rank. But now, with the [Chakra Crystal], the amount of chakra Keisuke could command had already reached an A-rank level.

Moreover, with the crucial limitation of his chakra reserves lifted, the ninjutsu he had previously acquired, such as [Camouflage Concealment] and [Super Beast Scroll], could now be incorporated into his standard combat repertoire. The degree of comprehensive strength improvement brought by this small [Chakra Crystal] was undoubtedly astonishing!

Nara Shikano stroked his beard and smiled. "It seems you're very satisfied with this 'second special reward,' Keisuke."

"I couldn't be more satisfied, Clan Head!" Keisuke's tone was filled with undisguised delight.

Although with the help of the S-rank technique [Shadow Doppelganger Technique] and his B+ rank [Wisdom] stat, the maximum power Keisuke could exert was close to that of an elite Jonin, that was only the [Shadow Doppelganger]. Keisuke's main body was still a "clock warrior" who couldn't be more specialized.

All along, Nara Keisuke had maintained a sufficiently clear understanding of his own abilities. "A pure secret-technique-based stationary ninja" was undoubtedly the most fitting description. (Chapter 4)

Now, through Keisuke's continuous efforts, plus a billion tiny bits of help from the "Lazy System," this extremely imbalanced ability set had finally been effectively improved.

Nara Keisuke didn't expect to be able to fight enemies with his bare fists like the future pinnacle of taijutsu, Might Guy. But at the very least, when an enemy attacked with fists and feet, he had to have enough strength, speed, and taijutsu to react and dodge, right? And with the "Lazy System" at his disposal, Keisuke had no desire to develop into a specialized warrior. A hexagon warrior with no weaknesses was his goal.

So...

Nara Keisuke asked with great interest, "Clan Head, are there any other Chakra Crystals in the family?"

"Do you think Chakra Crystals are like paper bombs that you can find everywhere?" Nara Shikano's smile vanished as he glared, his beard bristling. "This thing is extremely precious, worth a fortune!"

Keisuke was unconcerned. "Clan Head, I still have the one million ryo you just gave me."

Trying to use the family's reward to buy the family's treasure? The old clan head almost laughed in anger. The sound of your abacus clacking can be heard all the way in Konoha, kid!

"What is one million ryo in the face of a Chakra Crystal?" Nara Shikano said in a stern tone, intending to shatter Keisuke's daydream. "Just this small piece of Chakra Crystal, if you sold it, the money you'd get could buy you three more mountains! And that's with the extremely strict restrictions on its use. Otherwise, I don't know how many times higher the price would be!"

One Chakra Crystal is worth three mountains?

Nara Keisuke reined in his wild thoughts and looked down at the indigo gemstone in his hand. The cool-toned, hexagonal gemstone was resonating with his chakra. Its crystal-clear, warm surface emitted a hazy, dim glow, like the last rays of twilight draping over distant green mountains.

Keisuke had thought the old clan head had already given him a lot before. He hadn't expected to have still underestimated his generosity!

"Clan Head..." Keisuke looked up and said languidly, "I've only just completed one S-rank mission, and you've already given out so many rewards. When I complete other S-rank family missions in the future, what are you going to do..."

"And you're talking about 'other S-rank family missions'?" Nara Shikano was instantly amused. "Do you think S-rank missions issued by the family are the same as those issued by the village? Only an extremely outstanding contribution to the family can be considered an S-rank mission."

"But what if I really do accomplish something?" Keisuke said seriously. "For example, what if I develop another high-level ninjutsu similar to the [Lacquer Eye]?"

"The significance of the [Lacquer Eye] to our Nara clan is more than just a high-level ninjutsu..." Nara Shikano shook his head, but he couldn't ignore the solemn attitude Keisuke was showing. "However, Keisuke, if you really do research another high-level ninjutsu, I certainly won't be stingy with the rewards."

Excellent!

Nara Keisuke nodded. He had found a direction for triggering the next S-rank family mission! He just had to whip up another high-level ninjutsu with a value comparable to the [Lacquer Eye]...

Looking at Nara Keisuke's dead-serious expression, Nara Shikano felt inexplicably nervous. 'What do I do? This kid seems to have taken my words seriously...'

To be fair, for the last S-rank mission [Eye of Shadow], Nara Shikano had already maxed out the quality of rewards he could give. Secret techniques, medical books, money, position, treasure... The Nara clan really didn't have anything else to offer as a reward.

'If this kid really does research another high-level ninjutsu, how should I handle it?' Nara Shikano's mind raced. 'Well, whatever... Why should I worry about future troubles now? I'll deal with it when the time comes!'

Just as Nara Shikano successfully talked himself down, Keisuke said unexpectedly, "In that case, could the Clan Head give out another [Chakra Crystal]?"

"Cough! How is that possible?!" Nara Shikano coughed heavily. "You can forget about another Chakra Crystal. The family really has no more stock of a treasure of this level. If you have a way yourself, you can go try your luck elsewhere. But from what I know, within Konoha, only Princess Tsunade should have a spare Chakra Crystal."

Then forget it...

That cursed necklace from the golden goose... stay far away from it!

Nara Keisuke thought for a moment. "Clan Head, do you think the Fire Temple might have a spare Chakra Crystal?"

"How would I know something like that..."

"Alright then." Nara Keisuke nodded, not appearing disappointed. "But speaking of which, Clan Head, why did you place such a precious [Chakra Crystal] in the Fire Temple?"

"That's because within the range of the Fire Temple, the [Chakra Crystal] can be replenished more effectively," Nara Shikano replied subconsciously.

"More effectively?" Keisuke's eyes flashed as he recalled the second effect of the [Chakra Crystal] on his panel.

Natural energy?

"That is..." Nara Shikano was about to explain, but when the words reached his lips, he chose to avoid the topic. "That is a very important secret. When your own chakra reserves can match the energy contained within the Chakra Crystal, you can come and ask me for the answer to this question."

So it really is natural energy!

Nara Keisuke understood. He considered himself quite knowledgeable about the high-end powers hidden in the ninja world. Bloodline limits like the Rinnegan or Tenseigan were things he couldn't even dream of. As a plain, ordinary ninja, the only thing he could hope for was the legendary—Sage Mode!

The so-called "Sage Mode" referred to a special state achieved by combining one's own chakra with natural energy to create a specific "senjutsu chakra," causing a comprehensive, leap-like enhancement of one's ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu abilities.

However, not every ninja could practice Sage Mode. Leaving aside the danger, the most basic point for practicing Sage Mode was that the ninja must possess a sufficiently large amount of chakra!

Nara Keisuke could use the [Chakra Crystal] to temporarily boost his chakra level to an A-rank standard. But his own [Stamina] was only C-rank, and the amount of chakra he could produce was far from meeting the requirements for Sage Mode.

'Instead of fantasizing about Sage Mode, I should think more about how to make good use of this [Chakra Crystal].' Nara Keisuke tightened his grip on the gemstone. 'Being able to resonate with the A-rank ninja tool [Chakra Crystal], I can now barely be considered a small-scale Jinchuriki...'

Nara Shikano intentionally prompted him, "Keisuke, how do you plan to wear this Chakra Crystal?"

Such a large gemstone certainly couldn't be used just as it was. Nara Keisuke weighed the [Chakra Crystal] in his hand. The best way was to carry it with him as a piece of "jewelry." The more normal jewelry positions were, of course, a necklace, a ring, or an earring. Slightly more unconventional positions included a headband or a hair ornament. And the more unusual ones could be a choker, a toe ring, a navel ring...

The old clan head reminded him again, "If you're considering a necklace or a ring, you can open that scroll I gave you earlier and take a look."

Hearing this, Keisuke took out the small scroll that sealed the chakra metal. Following the clan head's instructions, he opened it and took out a ring-shaped piece of chakra metal. In the center of the silver-gray ring was a hexagonal gap, perfectly sized to accommodate the [Chakra Crystal].

Nara Keisuke embedded the gemstone into the ring and wore it on the index finger of his right hand.

"That settles one of my worries." Nara Shikano stretched. "Keisuke, I'm going to rest for a while. If you want to test the practical effects of the Chakra Crystal, you can wander around the temple. You might find an unexpected harvest."

(Author's Note:)

Regarding the old Clan Head knowing about the existence of natural energy, to avoid unnecessary arguments, I'll explain it here.

In the original manga, during the Pain's Assault arc, after Nara Shikaku learned from Katsuyu that "Naruto has successfully mastered senjutsu," he said to Shikamaru: "The fact that he (Naruto) learned senjutsu means he has become stronger." This is from [Manga, Volume 46, Chapter 430 (in the collected volume, not original chapter number)]. From this point, we can at least see that Nara Shikaku has some understanding of senjutsu.

In addition, two points have been made in this book:

1. The old Clan Head is on good terms with Chūkaku (Chiriku's academic teacher, a character from the original work, set as the abbot of the Fire Temple in this book).

2. The old Clan Head has said that the Fire Temple inherits the 'Ninshū' philosophy of the Sage of Six Paths. (Chapter 25)

So, in summary, the old Clan Head is aware of the existence of natural energy.

(End of Chapter)

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