Chapter 143: Agreement
The progress made by Chiko Tomoe and the others had stirred something in Ikura as well—he now felt the urge to take on students.
"Ishiro," he said, "you told me last time I should consider taking disciples too. Back then, I was too busy, but now I'm thinking—once the next batch of academy students graduates and I've finished mastering my S-rank jutsu, I'll head to the ninja academy to pick a few students."
Ishiro chuckled. "Great, that's still a ways off. By then, my three students will have matured, and I plan to take on three more. Let's compete—see whose disciples turn out better."
Ikura blinked in surprise. "You're planning to take more disciples?"
Ishiro replied, "You've never had disciples, so you wouldn't know how rewarding it is. Besides, you have family—you're not alone. But I've always been on my own. Having a few students to care about—it's a good thing."
Ikura fell silent. He came from a prestigious ninja clan, having shown exceptional talent since an early age, and his family had always treated him with care. He'd never lacked affection. But Ishiro was different. From the age of three, he had been alone. Friends were few. His social circle was either classmates or colleagues. Having disciples really could enrich his life.
Sensing the mood turning somber, Ishiro changed the subject. "Have you thought about the kind of students you want? Ones like yourself—well-rounded in ninjutsu and taijutsu—or specialists who can inherit one of your key skills?"
Ikura paused. "I haven't thought that far. I guess I'll decide when I meet the next group. Maybe I'll go with whoever leaves a strong impression. Got any advice?"
Ishiro was indeed known for his keen eye when it came to disciples.
He considered for a moment. "If you want someone to inherit your style, then you should look for a ninja with the same chakra affinity—like how the Second Tsuchikage trained the Third.
But if you can't find someone like that, you could choose several, each to inherit a part of your expertise.
If, on the other hand, your goal is to raise strong shinobi, then pick those hidden gems others overlook—like Chiko Tomoe.
Sure, she doesn't share my chakra nature, and she can't inherit my fighting style or my jutsu collection, but she's still on her way to becoming powerful—and it's a much simpler path than you'd think.
So really, your choice depends on your objective."
Ikura thought it over and finally said firmly, "Then I'll do what you did. I'll pick the overlooked ones—the ones with the potential to become strong.
Nurturing the next generation for the village is my duty."
Ishiro was taken aback, then grinned. "Not bad. You've got the mindset of a future Tsuchikage."
Ikura shook his head. "I'm still not on your level. Whether it's building trade routes or outmaneuvering Konoha, you've got more of a Kage's bearing than I do."
Ishiro didn't confirm or deny the compliment. A Kage's mindset wasn't necessarily a good thing. Itachi had captivated countless fans in Ishiro's past life, but what he did to his own clan was an unforgivable stain. That kind of sacrifice—valuing the whole over the few—was part of the Kage mindset.
And that was something Ishiro just couldn't do.
Maybe that was what separated him from people in this world. Then again, maybe after this war, he'd become just as cold.
After dinner, Ikura went home to continue his S-rank jutsu training. Ishiro, meanwhile, returned to the training ground, where his three disciples were no doubt still practicing late into the night.
Since he planned to train anyway, he figured he might as well train alongside them.
But his mood had shifted, perhaps because of his earlier talk with Ikura about what it means to have the mindset of a Kage. He found himself noticing the other newly promoted chunin—ones he would have normally ignored.
Rather than join his students directly, Ishiro stood at the edge of the training field and quietly observed the other young shinobi for a long time. A brilliant smile slowly appeared on his face.
He had no clan or family of his own, so why should he obsess over the concept of a Kage's will?
In the end, people cared more about actions than intentions. As long as he acted like a Kage—or rather, as long as others believed he acted like one—then to them, he was someone with the will of a Kage.
With that in mind, Ishiro split off dozens of shadow clones, sending each to stand beside a different chunin on the field, offering brief comments on their recent training.
At first, they were stunned—but that quickly turned to excitement. This was guidance from an elite jōnin!
And not just any elite jōnin, but one recognized throughout Iwagakure as a famed mentor.
Each ninja listened intently, eager to absorb every word. Some even pulled out scrolls to jot down notes.
Ishiro's clones didn't say much—just some feedback on what they'd just seen and a few directional corrections for their training methods.
Once done, the clones dispelled themselves.
Surprisingly, the chunin didn't immediately resume training. Instead, they gathered together to discuss the advice they'd received.
And in this discussion, those with similar techniques and specialties naturally gravitated together and started cooperative training.
Watching this happen, Ishiro smiled.
Over the next ten days, his three students continued to train at this field while Ishiro stayed nearby, quietly working on his chakra fusion. Occasionally, he'd pause his training to offer guidance to others.
The ten days passed quickly. Ishiro's progress with chakra fusion was still slow—the fusion rate wasn't yet outpacing the rate of dispersion.
Still, after more than a month of practice, the new chunin had reached the point where they were ready for real missions.
And so, Ishiro returned to the Eastern Division with his three disciples.
The number of personnel in the division hadn't increased, but there was now a large stockpile of new supplies. The once-spacious camp felt cramped from the stacked crates.
Ishiro suggested expanding the camp. They had the resources, and he was proficient with barrier seals.
Kitsuchi considered it, then agreed. But instead of acting immediately, he handed Ishiro a report. "The Cloud Ninja are getting restless."
"Eh?" Ishiro was surprised. According to his own calculations, Iwa and Suna should've been the first to move against Konoha. Kiri and Kumo were supposed to act later—Kumo possibly even last.
But due to the intel Ishiro had provided about Minato Namikaze, Iwa had delayed its war plans, and so had Suna.
The result? Despite the Third Great Ninja War having been underway for a while now, only two nations had engaged in low-level skirmishes. The others were still watching from the sidelines.
Finally, it seemed Kumo had run out of patience.
The intel showed that Kumo had begun deploying troops into the Land of the Moon, and small squads had already infiltrated the Land of Hot Springs—right next to Konoha.
Konoha responded immediately, sending both Jiraiya and Danzo to the frontlines.
Sending two Kage-level figures wasn't about matching strength with the Third Raikage.
In war, Kage-level ninja rarely engaged directly early on. If one side couldn't win, they might simply avoid their opponent and attack their enemy's weaker units.
Instead, Konoha's real purpose was to deter Kiri and Iwa.
Since Kumo was located between the two, stationing two powerful shinobi there meant quicker response times to either side. It also made it harder for the other villages to guess where Konoha would commit its top fighters.
The strategy worked. After Jiraiya and Danzo arrived, Kiri actually became more cautious.
Ishiro sighed as he read the report. When he'd first crossed into this world, the Second Shinobi War was already heating up. He had no idea how long the buildup to war could be.
Suna was especially frustrating—if they wanted to fight, why not just start?
Dragging things out only helped Konoha.
The Leaf hadn't fully recovered from the Second War. But the longer the standoff lasted, the stronger it would get.
Military standoffs were expensive. Fire Country could afford it, but the others couldn't.
Each country had its own agenda. Unlike during the Second War, where even the Kage hesitated to take part, this time new generations were on the verge of rising.
Each nation hoped to delay just a bit longer so their upcoming elites would be stronger when war came.
In canon, Kumo and Kiri stayed silent likely because their Fourth Kage were still growing into their power.
Iwa had no such luck—until Ikura filled the gap.
This kind of standoff also created friction between the four nations themselves. Without coordination, small skirmishes could easily spiral into actual conflict between non-Leaf countries.
And not everyone was as restrained as Ishiro—letting enemy scouts retreat unchallenged.
Plus, there were always schemers stirring the pot. Ishiro was certain Danzo wouldn't sit still.
That was what worried him. He didn't fear war with Konoha—it was inevitable.
What concerned him was wasting effort fighting other nations like Kumo when they should be uniting against Konoha.
He voiced these concerns to Kitsuchi.
Kitsuchi nodded. "I agree. I'll instruct our field operatives to be cautious when dealing with the Cloud Ninja."
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