Two days later, Aokawa, who had returned to the Village, was taken to the Hokage Office looking completely bewildered.
When Shirakumo Hayama saw him, he told Aokawa the details of the mission from start to finish.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, walked slowly to Aokawa, and asked softly:
"Aokawa, how is it? Are you confident at this distance?"
Seeing Aokawa's bewildered expression, he gently patted his shoulder:
"Don't be nervous, and don't feel pressured. Just speak the truth."
Aokawa still didn't speak, but he wasn't bewildered.
Instead, happiness had come too suddenly; just two days ago, he was worrying about where to get so many Ninjutsu and knowledge.
Today, someone was handing him a pillow just when he needed it.
This mission was practically tailor-made for him.
He looked nervous on the surface, but he had plenty of schemes running through his mind.
"For this mission, I should..."
"What should I ask for!"
Aokawa was thinking about how to avoid making people feel like he was asking for too much.
After a moment, he seemed to have calmed his nerves.
He moved to the map, looked at the markings on the edge, and measured the distance of the canyon with his fingers.
Then he measured the distance to the forests on both sides.
He furrowed his brows, appearing to have encountered an unsolvable problem.
"Is there any difficulty?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been watching his expression, immediately asked.
"Hokage-sama..." Aokawa's voice held some tension, "The canyon's distance is within the range of the Holy Arrow."
"But the forests on both sides won't work. They're too far. Once past the range, the Chakra Arrow's speed will slow down, and it won't achieve a killing effect." Aokawa shook his head.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also a bit disappointed after hearing this.
Aokawa was the one with the longest-range striking capability among the people he could deploy.
If even he couldn't handle it, then they would have to do as Shikaku said and dispatch personnel to infiltrate the enemy country.
This traditional method of mission execution held significant risks under the current sensitive international situation.
"Unless..." Aokawa changed his tune.
"Unless what?" Nara Shikaku's dimmed eyes lit up again from the side.
"Hokage-sama, Nara-sama, I've recently been studying the 'Basic Ninjutsu Knowledge' course provided by the academy."
"It mentions that different attributes of Chakra result in different special effects."
"Among them, the special effects of Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation are high speed and penetration."
"If this transformation can be added to the Chakra Arrow, it will definitely greatly enhance its range and power."
"So, to kill Onigumo, I must complete the Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation for the Holy Arrow."
After hearing this, Nara Shikaku asked impatiently, "Have you tested your Chakra attributes? Do you have the Lightning Attribute?"
"I have Lightning Attribute Chakra."
After Aokawa finished speaking, he shook his head somewhat diffidently:
"But I don't even know the most basic Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation, nor have I learned any Lightning Release Ninjutsu. It will be very difficult to complete the upgrade of the Holy Arrow."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "Then we just need to teach you the Nature Transformation of Lightning Release Chakra."
"I'm afraid I'll learn too slowly and delay the mission."
"I will teach you personally; I'm not afraid you won't learn it."
"Shouldn't the Hokage use Fire Release? Does Hokage-sama know Lightning Release too?" Aokawa blinked and asked curiously.
Nara Shikaku laughed heartily at his words. "Where did you get such nonsense?"
"Besides, Hokage-sama is Konoha's Ninjutsu Doctor. There isn't a Ninjutsu he doesn't know. Lightning Release is a piece of cake for him."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and smiled as he stroked his goatee, looking quite content and seemingly enjoying the compliment.
Aokawa's eyes lit up. "That's great then."
With the matter settled, Hiruzen Sarutobi was in high spirits.
It would be for the best if Onigumo could be dealt with here at the canyon.
There would be no need to worry about friction with the Land of Lightning, nor any risk of losing personnel.
He smiled and began making arrangements for the group.
"Shikaku, notify the Front Lines. For the time being, let the Chunin and Jonin continue the hard work of patrolling in teams."
"Sohma, go about your business. Once Aokawa has finished his learning, you will execute the mission with him."
"Yes." The two of them withdrew together.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked to the table, took a brush, and quickly wrote many words on a scroll, then blew on the ink.
After scanning it carefully to confirm there were no errors, he handed it to Aokawa.
"These are some basic knowledge and key points of Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation. Take it back and look it over."
"Come to the Hokage Building tomorrow morning to start your formal learning."
"Yes, thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Mhm, go back for now!"
Aokawa stepped out of the Hokage Office.
As he walked out, he found Shirakumo Hayama standing outside with his arms crossed.
He quickly closed the door and greeted Shirakumo Hayama.
"Sohma-sama!"
Shirakumo Hayama turned his head. "Finished talking?"
"Yes, I'll start learning under Hokage-sama tomorrow."
Shirakumo Hayama nodded and then spoke, "While waiting for your return these past two days, I've looked over the key points of Hirenkyaku, and it's been a great help to me."
"I'm glad it helped you, Sohma-sama. Besides, you also taught me Konoha-ryu Kenjutsu."
Shirakumo Hayama shook his head. "With your talent, anyone in the Village could teach you Konoha-ryu Kenjutsu, but Hirenkyaku is unique."
As he spoke, he pulled a scroll from his robe and handed it to Aokawa.
"This is some of my insight from years of studying Konoha Shunshin. Consider it a small token of my appreciation; please take it."
Aokawa's eyes lit up, his gaze fixed intently on the scroll.
Holy crap!
Konoha Shunshin!
This was Shirakumo Hayama's signature technique.
It could scatter across the sky like Itachi's Crow Clone, be used as a Substitution Jutsu, was hard to catch, allowed for high-speed movement, and most importantly, it was incredibly cool.
What an unexpected surprise!
"How could I? Sohma-sama is too kind," Aokawa said politely, though the speed at which he took the scroll was anything but slow.
Shirakumo Hayama laughed at the sight. "Given the difficulty of this technique, it might be a bit too high for you."
"So, whether you can truly master this gift depends on your own ability."
Hearing this, Aokawa stopped smiling, bowed slightly, and stated seriously, "Whether or not I can master this technique, I will cherish Sohma-sama's kindness."
Shirakumo Hayama smiled and waved his hand. "That's not what I meant."
"How should I put it... if there's anything you don't understand during your cultivation, come ask me."
"I understand. Thank you, Sohma-sama!"
"Then I'll be off."
"Alright, goodbye, Sohma-sama!"
Only after watching Shirakumo Hayama walk away did Aokawa impatiently tuck the two scrolls into his robe and run home in great strides.
"I wonder what Konoha Shunshin is really like!"
He was looking forward to it!
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