Free Web NovelChapter 232: Natureless Special Chakra (bonus)
That Shisui boy had chosen to reveal his identity to Itachi on his own.
That was probably something Hikaru had never anticipated.
Of course, at the moment, he had no particular interest in paying attention to something so minor.
He probably would not even care that Itachi now harbored a deep sense of gratitude toward ANBU.
At this stage, Hikaru had already finished handling many of the matters before him.
But as always, the moment one set of problems was resolved, a new set followed close behind.
"Orochimaru has been sent away and settled within the Land of Fire. That makes it easier for me to reach him, and easier to have him assist with valuable experiments.
Kabuto has been handed over to Orochimaru for training. That’s the best possible outcome. I need a messenger, and Kabuto will only grow better under Orochimaru’s guidance.
And finally, there’s the newly established propaganda office. It may have begun as a bit of a whim, but given its value—and the role it may play in future wars—it’s something whose advantages far outweigh the drawbacks.
If managed properly, it can even generate more money to support ANBU’s continued expansion."
For Hikaru, ANBU’s expansion was both a blessing and a problem.
As the Minister of ANBU, naturally he wanted it to keep growing stronger. The stronger ANBU became, the more resources he could claim to fight people like Danzō.
But from a Hokage’s point of view, that was not necessarily a good thing.
If a subordinate force grew too large and too independent, it could become uncontrollable. That sort of imbalance would be extremely troublesome to deal with later.
Still, it was too early to worry about that now.
Besides, ANBU was completely under Hikaru’s control. If the time came, splitting it apart again would not be beyond him.
"So for now, the focus should be on building the laboratory—and on setting up the propaganda office."
The laboratory was still in the planning stage. The right personnel were not so easy to find. Still, Kakashi was overseeing that matter, and Hikaru was willing to trust him with it.
That meant Hikaru’s own attention was better spent on the propaganda office.
After all, laboratories already existed in this world. ANBU itself already had one, and Kakashi could simply draw on that model.
But something like a propaganda office had no true equivalent here. At most, the world possessed only the vaguest beginnings of such a thing.
So it made perfect sense for Hikaru to place his effort there.
He wanted the organization to start producing results as soon as possible.
"So, we’ll use paper to publish the material we want to circulate. We’ll call it a newspaper."
Sitting in an office, Hikaru spoke calmly to the people gathered before him.
This meeting was more specific than the last one. Everyone present now had essentially already been selected to take charge of this task in the future.
In a way, it was rather interesting.
ANBU was originally an intelligence organization with a violent arm attached. An institution like that really ought to have developed a propaganda branch from the beginning.
"Newspaper?" Saya asked as she took notes carefully. "That term is interesting. But Minister, what exactly is your definition of a newspaper?"
Hikaru gave the question some thought, then answered in a precise, almost textbook tone.
"A printed publication issued to the public, primarily carrying news and commentary on current affairs."
He paused, then continued more plainly.
"To put it simply, it’s a medium for mass communication. And because of that, it has the ability to reflect public opinion—and to guide it."
At its core, a newspaper was meant to serve the public.
But because of what it could do, it was also something that could be used.
Hikaru had never been especially noble. He had no intention of making the newspapers under his control neutral or fair.
What he wanted was for them to serve him completely.
He wanted to guide values, shape thought, and draw people closer to his side.
To put it bluntly, what he wanted was a weapon for waging a war of public opinion.
"That sounds a little like a public notice board," Ayame said while writing things down as well. "When the Hokage’s office has new policies to announce, they put them up for everyone to read."
"More or less," Hikaru nodded. "But what we need is deeper reach, greater convenience, and wider coverage."
Then he began laying out his thinking without any concealment at all.
"Our goal is to control and influence the audience—to shape their convictions, their thoughts, their mental state.
Used positively, public opinion can rally hearts, inspire morale, and create powerful cohesion.
Used negatively, it can control how people think, destroy their beliefs, and wear down their will to resist."
Everyone present now understood perfectly well what those seemingly contradictory words meant.
A newspaper, if kept truly neutral and fair, could absolutely become something that benefited the entire shinobi world.
But placed in the hands of someone with less innocent intentions, it became a weapon—one capable of destroying a nation without ever drawing a blade.
Fortunately, no one in the room was especially innocent.
Everyone here belonged to ANBU. Whatever kindness they once had, it had long since been tempered by darkness.
In their eyes, even if such a tool would be better in a neutral position, its greatest value still lay in being controlled by them.
"Then what are the actual steps for building it?"
A Nara shinobi from Political Affairs raised his hand and asked carefully.
"Minister, you explained some of the broad structure yesterday, but not the finer points. We still don’t know—"
"That’s why we’re having this meeting today."
Hikaru smiled and nodded at him before continuing.
"I don’t know what each of your exact duties will be in the future, but I can tell you this with confidence—
you are going to change the world."
He said it casually, but no one in the room doubted he meant it.
"This newspaper will be called the Shinobi World Daily.
We can divide it into different sections.
There can be headline news—whatever the most eye-catching story of the day is. For example, some new change in Konoha, or a development at the daimyo’s court. In wartime, that sort of material must naturally lean toward Konoha in a subtle way.
Then we can have local news, national news, and international news. I don’t think I need to explain those too much. Just make sure to choose things that are interesting enough to draw attention.
At the end, we can include entertainment pieces as well. A new film about to premiere, for example.
Or an interview with a shinobi—his life story, his notable missions, a few details from major operations, and so on."
At that point, Hikaru stopped for a moment and glanced over the gathered shinobi, all of whom were writing down every word with complete seriousness.
He could not help but shake his head inwardly.
In his previous life, newspapers had already been on their way out, pushed aside by the convenience of the internet.
Compared to a network that delivered information instantly and everywhere, printed news on paper really had no advantage at all.
And yet here, in this era, what Hikaru was saying lay entirely outside the boundaries of their knowledge.
The gap was enormous.
Taking a slow breath, he tapped the table lightly before going on.
"Everyone, there is one point more important than all the rest.
No matter how fair or objective your reporting appears to be, at the core of it, everything must still lean toward us.
Only by mastering the right to speak can we hope to control anything.
Do you understand?"
Under Hikaru’s guidance, the concept of "news media" was taking shape rapidly in the minds of certain ANBU personnel.
Naturally, it took time.
Everything had to be taught from scratch, step by step.
Even things as simple as drafts and written material still needed Hikaru’s personal revision before they were usable.
It was time-consuming, yes.
But no matter how one looked at it, things had now entered the proper track.
Hikaru was confident that before long, the first issue of the Shinobi World Daily would be ready.
No matter what, that was worth celebrating.
Of course, the first newspaper in shinobi history would still need to prove itself.
But once the first step had been taken, everything afterward would become much easier.
After all, they were leaning on ANBU’s enormous intelligence network. And if there was one thing ANBU never lacked, it was information.
"We only need to release some material that can safely be declassified," Hikaru thought as he walked through a forest in the Land of Fire, enjoying the vibrant life in the air around him. "Or outdated reports that no longer matter. Even those should be enough to catch the attention of shinobi."
Human curiosity was a curious thing.
The more hidden something was, the more people wanted to see it.
The more confidential it had once been, the more people longed to dig it up and expose it.
Hikaru was more than happy to exploit that instinct—to pull in eyes, attract attention, and then slowly guide and transform that attention until it served his purpose.
"At least now they’re busy recruiting staff and assembling the framework. I can finally take a little time for myself."
After being tied down in Konoha for so long, he was finally able to steal away for a while and deal with his own matters.
Ever since defeating Uchiha Fugaku, he had not left the village once.
Only now, with the atmosphere inside Konoha no longer as tense as before, did he finally have the freedom to do so.
If things in the village had still been unstable, he would never have dared leave. One missed detail might have caused a great deal of trouble.
When he finally reached those few trees and stopped, he immediately sensed that the chakra fluctuations within them had gone completely still.
That realization made him nod slightly.
Of course, "no chakra fluctuations" could mean more than one thing.
It could mean that the tree had never produced any chakra fluctuations in the first place.
That was the situation he expected from Kimimaro’s bone. He had never held much hope for that one.
After all, Kimimaro’s bloodline was still too underdeveloped. That had been nothing more than an experiment from the beginning.
But a lack of chakra fluctuations could also mean that the growth process had already completed—like the White Zetsu body and the chunk of Hashirama’s flesh.
"Let’s hope for a good result this time."
With that thought, Hikaru reached out toward the first tree—the one that held the piece of Hashirama’s corpse.
The moment his hand touched the bark, the system stirred in his mind.
Detected special energy. Analyzing.
Analysis result: Intermediate Wood Release Seed. Extract? freewebnøvel.com
Hikaru froze for a moment.
He had never expected to obtain a Wood Release seed directly.
In all his previous thinking, he had assumed that Wood Release could only be improved through bloodline development and deeper mastery of Yang Release.
Now it seemed he had not been entirely correct.
"Though I suppose I wasn’t completely wrong, either."
Without hesitation, he extracted the seed.
As he looked at the faintly glowing seed resting in his hand, he quickly absorbed it into his body.
His earlier reasoning had been based on Wood Release’s ceiling and the limits the system imposed through bloodline progression.
But he had neglected something important.
When the system upgraded a technique, it did not merely raise raw destructive power.
The enhancement was comprehensive.
It improved understanding, control, structure, and the way chakra itself formed and supported the technique.
And it was through that total enhancement that the final result became far more frightening.
An intermediate Wood Release seed would not simply strengthen his Wood Release.
It would likely deepen his understanding of Earth Release, Water Release, and even aspects of Yang Release as well.
Thinking of that, Hikaru could not help but marvel once again at just how useful—and just how merciless—his system truly was.
"So once I get the fruit, I’ll have to spend time mastering it properly. And probably revisit Earth and Water Release as well. What a troublesome life."
He grumbled inwardly, though in truth he was thoroughly pleased.
Intermediate Wood Release combined with a high-level Sage Mode—
the thought of what that combination might become made him genuinely eager.
He moved on and placed his hand on the tree grown from the White Zetsu matter carved from Black Zetsu and Obito’s arm.
After pulling such an excellent reward right at the start, Hikaru found himself hoping for a true streak of good fortune.
The White Zetsu body had too many possibilities attached to it.
And in terms of compatibility, the altered White Zetsu carried Hashirama’s nature within it.
For the current Hikaru, it was one of the most naturally compatible materials imaginable.
Beyond that, he also greatly hoped that unique fusion-type power might appear again.
He truly wanted to combine even more forms of chakra.
As his own chakra stirred slightly, Hikaru’s expression shifted.
Detected special energy. Analyzing.
Analysis result: Special Fusion Power. Extract?
Analysis result: Trace Natureless Special Chakra. Extract?
The moment the system’s voice finished, Hikaru stood there in stunned silence.
The result this time was excellent.
No—more than excellent.
He had once again obtained that strange fusion-type energy.
He had already experienced the value of that power before. The unnamed Bloodline Elimination he had developed with it—and the mountain he had split apart with a single strike—remained etched in his mind.
So receiving another portion of that same fusion power naturally delighted him.
It meant he could create a second Bloodline Elimination.
The first one still remained underdeveloped.
Though he had carefully studied and refined it while integrating it into himself, he had simply had too few chances to use it.
Without enough combat use, there could be no real opportunity to perfect it.
Still, he was not especially bothered.
That power belonged to one of his other identities. Sooner or later, he would have plenty of opportunities to develop it.
As for its name—well, that had never mattered much to him.
As a transmigrator, Hikaru’s perspective already stood above that of most people in this world.
He knew that to the Ōtsutsuki, ninjutsu had never really been something that needed names.
In the end, all such powers simply fell under the category of "techniques."
And Hikaru’s goal was the Ōtsutsuki. His goal was the ultimate power at the level of Bloodline Expansion.
There was little reason to obsess over naming a Bloodline Elimination.
Of course, it was not that he had never considered it.
But his own habits of thought still leaned too much toward the naming conventions of his former world. He suspected anything he came up with would sound out of place here.
This time, however, the fusion power would be used by his true self.
By Senju Hikaru.
And that meant he could try something more interesting.
Or perhaps simply reproduce something that had already proven its value.
"Like Dust Release."
Hikaru had always thought highly of Dust Release, and he knew the formula for it well enough.
Of course, using such a power meant he would have to be careful of Ōnoki.
After all, that technique belonged to Iwagakure.
The old Tsuchikage would never happily tolerate seeing his village’s greatest trump card bloom in the hands of another.
Still, Hikaru did not think he needed to fear that too much.
The identity of Senju Hikaru would rarely need to leave the village at all.
And if he truly obtained that power, it would raise both his own reputation and Konoha’s to a remarkable degree.
So there was no need to rush that decision. He could wait and choose more carefully later.
The fusion chakra was easy enough to understand.
But the phrase Natureless Special Chakra left him baffled.
Because for this one, the system gave almost no explanation at all.
He was left to think and guess on his own.
A special power that can act upon all forms of energy.
That was the system’s only note.
And it left Hikaru full of questions.
A power that can act upon all forms of energy?
Did that mean it could merge into every type of power he currently possessed?
And after merging—
would it strengthen them?
After turning it over in his mind for some time, that was the only explanation that seemed to fit.
"If that’s true... then things just became very interesting."
If that really was how it worked, then it only gave Hikaru greater reason to go rob Obito again at some point.
Most of Hikaru’s powers were still only at the beginner or intermediate stage. Aside from senjutsu, base chakra, and the elemental transformations, very little had advanced beyond that.
It was, frankly, awkward.
Even though he had already become terrifyingly strong, now that he had reached one peak, how could he not want to climb the summit beyond it?
Human beings were greedy.
Hikaru had never denied that greed in himself.
He wanted to stand at the highest point.
In power.
In authority.
In all things.
And he had never once stopped moving toward that goal.
"Let’s test it."
The amount was only a trace.
But even so, it should still be enough to produce some kind of improvement.
For his main identity, the powers he could truly display were limited.
Elemental ninjutsu, sealing arts, Flying Thunder God, Wood Release, senjutsu, and the Jōgan.
His elemental ninjutsu and senjutsu were already close to full mastery.
Flying Thunder God was not something the system’s seeds could improve; that one had to be cultivated through his own effort.
His sealing arts were still only intermediate, so that was one candidate.
Wood Release had just produced a seed, so there was no reason to choose that.
Which left only one real answer.
The Jōgan.
Compared to sealing arts, the choice was obvious.
Without another word, Hikaru guided the strange chakra into his body, and from there toward his eyes.
That dōjutsu had always left him groping in the dark. He had never known how to truly improve it.
He only knew that even in its initial state, it was already absurdly powerful.
"Hmm?"
The moment the strange chakra met his eyes, it melted into them completely.
In that instant, Hikaru felt a subtle shift.
The sensation was brief—
but it was extraordinarily pleasant.
His eyes felt clearer.
Sharper.
As though, once activated, his perception would become even stronger than before.
Unable to suppress his anticipation, he immediately opened his status panel.
He wanted to see exactly what had changed.
Name: Senju Hikaru
Sex: Male
Birthday: Konoha Year 34, March 24
Level: Quasi-Kage (system evaluation without using special abilities) (vast chakra reserves) (small portion of Ryūmyaku chakra sealed)
Dōjutsu: Jōgan (initial stage) (development: 50%)
Bloodline Development: Intermediate (Senju Secret Arts, Beginner Yang Release Secret Arts), Bloodline Elimination (unnamed)
Jinchūriki: Nine-Tails (intermediate; can grow by devouring large amounts of special chakra, can be developed by planting a high-level Nine-Tails fruit) (continually growing after ingesting excessive chakra)
Seeds: Beginner Three-Tails Chakra (40%), Intermediate Wood Release Seed (1%)
Fruits: Intermediate Fire Release Fruit (2), Intermediate Water Release Fruit (1), Intermediate Earth Release Fruit (2), Special Fusion Power
Mission: Become the one true Great Boss of the shinobi world (progress: 29%)
Staring at the panel, Hikaru fell silent.
The experimental fruits he had prepared had all matured.
The Three-Tails chakra had already reached forty percent.
But none of that was the important part.
The important part was that because of that trace of special chakra, his Jōgan’s development had jumped straight to fifty percent.
The result left him exhilarated.
He had never known how to properly improve his eyes.
Now, at last, he had a clear path.
"Obito... you really are a good man."
Obito was, unquestionably, a good man.
No matter how vile the things he had done might be.
To Hikaru, that was the plain truth.
In terms of just how useful he was, Obito could now stand shoulder to shoulder with Danzō.
Hikaru truly was grateful to him.
And not sarcastically, either.
Unlike a certain "free world" from his old life, Hikaru had no habit of praising people through mockery.
Before transmigrating, Hikaru had once struggled to understand why the people of that so-called beacon of liberty often behaved in such a violently anti-intellectual way.
Tell them to wear masks—they refused.
Tell them to get vaccinated—they resisted like their lives depended on it.
Later, a friend explained it to him simply:
in their eyes, anything their government gave them for free was automatically suspicious.
If it cost money, then perhaps it could be trusted.
Because their government had done enough ugly things that people had learned to assume deception as a rule.
So when the government said "wear masks," many concluded masks must be useless and ignored the advice.
Then, when the same government later implied masks were unnecessary, they panicked and wore them anyway.
"It’s like arranging to meet a girl and she tells you there’s no need to bring protection," Hikaru thought dryly. "Your first reaction would be that you probably need two."
Even if you had not planned to use any at all.
"Living in the great beacon of freedom really did teach them the truth of the world."
Hikaru, however, was not being ironic in the slightest.
Danzō had given him the chance to rise.
He had also helped wreck Hiruzen’s foundations piece by piece.
And Obito—
Obito was helping him become stronger, helping him move toward the absolute summit.
Hikaru truly was grateful to both of them.
That did not mean they were not still enemies.
Good men they might be, in this particular sense—
but enemies all the same.
Stretching lazily, Hikaru let his chakra stir and vanished from the spot.
This trip had already produced everything he had come for.
Naturally, it was time to leave.
Just as expected, Kimimaro’s bone had yielded nothing of real value.
But the other gains had more than made up for that disappointment.
More than that, they had given Hikaru a vital insight:
the value of White Zetsu bodies was extraordinary.
His desire for more of them had now reached a peak.
Still, he would need to be patient.
At the very least, until he fully absorbed and developed what he had gained this time, he would have to restrain himself.
In a hidden forest somewhere in the Land of Fire stood one of Orochimaru’s laboratories.
He had never told anyone about this place.
Not even his teacher.
A man needed his secrets.
Orochimaru understood that very well.
Because no one ever knew what road the future would force them down—as his own life had now so clearly proven.
Luckily, he had prepared in advance.
Otherwise, after what had happened, he would have had no way to respond.
Perhaps he would not even have been able to remain inside the Land of Fire at all.
Quietly, he looked at the Uchiha body floating inside a cylindrical tank, its flesh still undergoing visible transformation.
A smile slowly appeared on his lips.
The experiment was going well.
"Though it’s only a two-tomoe Sharingan," Orochimaru murmured, "it’s already lasted long enough, and it even shows real signs of success.
It seems my ideas were correct.
Even if I proceeded cautiously, I was still right."
Excitement stirred in him.
He had prepared for this experiment for a very long time back in Konoha, only to be thwarted again and again by circumstance.
Now, with adequate materials finally in hand, he had made true progress.
How could he not be delighted?
"Apparently, in some sense, the Uchiha really do counterbalance the Senju."
He licked his lips.
"What a fascinating discovery."
"It’s not really that fascinating. Otherwise, why do you think the Senju and Uchiha fought each other for so many years?"
A voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"After all, all things in this world are connected—and all things restrain one another."
The instant he heard that voice, Orochimaru’s body stiffened.
But only for a moment.
He relaxed almost at once.
Turning, he saw Hikaru standing there—he had no idea when the man had arrived.
The surprise in Orochimaru’s heart was genuine, but outwardly he remained perfectly calm.
After all, Hikaru had left two Flying Thunder God markers on him.
He could not escape Hikaru’s range even if he wanted to.
"Minister Hikaru visiting me personally... what an honor," Orochimaru said with a smile, licking his lips once more.
"And what important instructions bring the Minister here this time?"
"Instructions would be too much to say. Think of it as... an interesting task."
Hikaru tilted his head slightly.
"Tell me—what are your thoughts on resurrection techniques?"
"Resurrection techniques?"
"Yes."
Hikaru’s expression did not change at all.
"Resurrection techniques."
"Do they interest you?"
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