Since his meeting with Obito, Aozora once again felt the urgent need to enhance his combat strength.
Although he hadn't openly come to blows with Obito, he knew Obito had already lost faith in him.
For his own safety, Aozora even considered having his Keshin carry out missions assigned by the Akatsuki while he himself remained hidden safely in Konoha.
After all, the Keshin could fly and instantly retreat to the Summoning Realm, making it much more versatile than Aozora himself.
In response, Taiyi called Aozora a coward but agreed anyway.
As a Keshin, he had long accepted this role.
Thinking about how he might one day be surrounded and attacked by members of the Akatsuki, Taiyi silently halted plans for his Sun Palace and began focusing intently on studying the [Flying Thunder God Technique].
After all, only by surviving could he build his own heavenly kingdom!
Meanwhile, Aozora started selecting Ninjutsu techniques from the Scroll of Seals to learn.
The first technique he decided to master was the Multiple Shadow Clone (Jutsu).
Within just a short moment after reading through its instructions carefully, Aozora successfully executed it.
Looking at the sea of clones filling the courtyard and sensing the massive amount of chakra drained from his body, Aozora shook his head and said, "So the real challenge is simply the amount of chakra required!"
Even with Aozora's vast chakra reserves, after performing the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, only three-fifths of his chakra remained.
For ordinary ninja, if they couldn't draw enough chakra instantly during the technique, they might not only suffer backlash but also sustain serious injuries—even risking their lives.
Aozora dispelled most of the shadow clones, keeping ten behind and assigning each of them specific tasks.
"Unit One, you'll handle [Impure World Reincarnation]!"
"Unit Two, work on [Eight Gates Release]!"
"Unit Three, focus on [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique]!"
"Unit Four, study [Spirit Transformation Technique]!"
"..."
Each of these ten shadow clones was tasked with learning one of the kinjutsu (Forbidden Techniques) he found promising.
Of course, Aozora didn't expect these ten clones to succeed quickly—he merely wanted to explore each forbidden technique thoroughly before choosing those best suited for him.
He might eventually study every kinjutsu recorded on the Scroll of Seals, but exactly how many he could truly master remained uncertain.
Previously, Aozora had believed himself to be a once-in-a-century prodigy.
However, when he started learning other elemental Releases and Medical Ninjutsu, he realized that even he sometimes struggled with learning.
His natural talent was clearly strongest when it came to Fire Release.
Every Fire Release technique could be performed immediately upon seeing the hand seals, and within two or three attempts, he'd mastered it fully—pushing its application to unprecedented heights.
But outside Fire Release, his talent wasn't quite so impressive.
While still surpassing average ninja, his aptitude in Lightning Release and Earth Release was merely exceptional rather than breathtaking.
Recently, Aozora had used shadow clones like cheats to develop comprehensively.
Yet months later, his progress remained minimal.
The biggest advancement came in Earth Release, where he now mastered the advanced Earth Release technique [Earth Release: Great Stone Wall of Captivity].
This technique served as the foundational knowledge for the supernatural ability [Mark of Imprisonment], significantly expanding Aozora's options for trapping enemies.
[Mark of Imprisonment] forms a sealing barrier on the ground once released.
Initially, the barrier possessed only B-ranked Earth Release strength. However, it continuously draws energy from within and around itself to amplify its power. Over time, it could grow strong enough to reach S-ranked Earth Release strength—strong enough to trap even tailed beasts, which would struggle to break free.
Besides Earth Release, Aozora had also made satisfying progress in Lightning Release. He had already learned the B-ranked technique: [Lightning Release: Lightning Clone]. Yet disappointingly, this did not grant him any new supernatural ability.
Aozora speculated that this might be because [Lightning Release: Lightning Clone] involved little qualitative change in Lightning Release itself.
As for Wind Release, he had spent so much time mastering just one technique—[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough].
And Water Release—he hadn't successfully mastered even a single technique.
Aozora suspected that after cultivating Yakton and Lightning-Fire Golden Body, his body had undergone subtle changes that prevented him from manifesting a Water Nature transformation.
Fortunately, his aptitude for Medical Ninjutsu was on par with his skills in Lightning and Earth Releases. He had already mastered [Mystical Palm Technique] and was now researching [Reanimation Healing Technique].
After identifying his innate inclinations, Aozora still intended to develop comprehensively, but no longer insisted on achieving high proficiency across all Five Chakra Natures.
Although Aozora knew Kekkei Mora represented the ultimate combat prowess in the ninja world, he believed Heavenly Book transcended those boundaries.
Across all realms and universes, possessing mastery over all elemental natures wasn't necessarily a requirement to achieve ultimate strength.
...
Time flew by quickly. Before long, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane had returned to Konoha bearing the Hokage commission document.
After publicly reading out the commission scroll, Fugaku finally became the Fifth Hokage officially.
Then he held his first high-level meeting since assuming office, with Aozora attending as an Elite Jonin.
At the meeting, Fugaku first announced senior appointments across Konoha's six divisions.
Surprisingly to everyone present, despite being considered radical before, Fugaku didn't aggressively consolidate power or excessively promote Uchiha clan members after assuming office.
Fugaku didn't remove any of the four Elders from their positions. Among the Six Division Chiefs, only Kintai filled the vacancy left by Fugaku.
After announcing these appointments and seeing the tension ease among the attendees, Fugaku immediately moved on to detailing reforms across each of the six divisions.
Relieved that they hadn't been stripped of their authority entirely, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane naturally kept silent regarding administrative reforms. Thus, the proposal to exchange mission points for ninjutsu techniques passed unanimously, quickly winning support from elite commoners.
In contrast to the vague standards set during The Third's era, Fugaku's fair and transparent ninjutsu exchange system offered them renewed hope.
Later, no one voiced opposition about Anbu reforms since Fugaku didn't restore internal functions like capture and interrogation to Anbu. Therefore, disbanding and selecting members for Anbu became solely the Hokage's prerogative.
The lack of changes to Intelligence and Police Divisions eased many people's concerns.
Next came the expansion of the Medical Corps with the addition of a Medicinal Pills Research Institute—a low initial investment with promising future potential. After discussion, senior officials expressed support one after another.
Soon arrived the final agenda item—the reform of the Education Department.
To Aozora's surprise, Fugaku's reform measures exceeded expectations dramatically, covering numerous aspects Aozora himself hadn't mentioned.
After announcing the policies and actions, Fugaku continued, "To ensure the rapid development of the new school, we have decided to transfer teachers and higher-ups from Konoha Ninja Academy to take positions at the new school. This will allow experienced personnel to guide and assist the new institution's growth.
The following individuals have been selected: Shimura Katsurato, Sarutobi Naoki, Ibuki Toshiru, Homura Mitokado..."
Aozora smirked slightly as he listened to the names being read out.
"Promotion in title, demotion in practice—eh?"
No wonder he's the clan head—Fugaku certainly knows politics well.
Although everyone understood Fugaku's intentions, no one could find fault with his decisions.
After all, those transferred to the new school would generally receive a pay raise, even though they'd lose influence over the next generation of Konoha's young ninjas.
The saying goes that a newly promoted official brings three fires. Originally, many higher-ups had braced themselves for the flames to reach them.
Yet today, not only did Fugaku avoid burning himself, he barely lit small fires elsewhere either. Naturally, people followed suit without resistance.
They certainly didn't mistake Fugaku for someone lenient or soft-spoken.
Remember, he bears the Uchiha surname—the man known as the [Murderous Gaze]!
Even Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, whose clan members had been reassigned from the Ninja Academy, remained silent on this matter. They already felt fortunate to keep their elder advisor positions.
However, there were always those who failed to grasp the situation. Hodan Sarutobi, a Jonin from the Sarutobi clan, shot up from his seat in anger.
"This can't be!"
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