Chapter 74 – Plans within Plans
With the situation finally settled we got down to business.
First, we had to get Kurenai up to par.
That took the better part of the morning, explaining to Kurenai the outline of the vision and how our goal was to stop it.
She was a bit saddened to know that in the vision she had stayed with Asuma and had a daughter, not because she regretted leaving him, but because she felt pity for her unenlightened vision-self.
She was at least glad that we were planning to start changing things soon and the future where Asuma is killed by Akatsuki was unlikely to play out.Despite having broken up they had been teammates for years and she didn’t wish to see his death anytime soon.
With Kurenai settled, we had the first of many strategy meetings throughout the day.
We first listen to Anko’s gathered intel about the Chunin Exams.While the structure remained the same as in the vision the largest change is Anko not being eligible as a proctor due to being in charge of a team of Genin.
She was unable to find the identity of the proctor replacing her but we’re at least safe in the knowledge that the structure remains the same and we might be able to weave our intended outcomes around a stableish framework…
We still have huge differences, especially when it comes to Sakura and Sasuke’s interactions which we hope don’t snowball out of control.
Then we went over the results of our training.While my training had wide and varied accomplishments, Sakura and Hinata were more specialized but not any less impressive.
On my end, I had acquired kenjutsu skills, genjutsu skills and more importantly in that category, the ability to reverse and nullify most Genjutsu in existence.There were also the mind skills I trained, the Anbu knowledge on infiltration, recon, torture, interrogation, clean-up and of course… seduction.Lastly in my ninjutsu, I mastered my lightning release. The use I most practiced for it was a kind of [Chidori Katana], electrocuting my katana to prevent others from blocking it and shocking them if they attempted any parry, but it comes nowhere close to the potency Sasuke had attained in his similar jutsu in the future.
As for Sakura, she spent her time training her body under Tsunade’s instructions. Her combat skills were highly polished but she's still learning Tsunade’s [Strength of a Hundred Seal] and can’t form the jutsu yet.She did already contract with Katsuyu, the slime from Shikkotsu Forest, which can help in healing and with acid attacks, but both Katsuyu’s size and abilities are highly reliant on Sakura’s chakra reserves so she’s not all that useful in a fight for now.
As for Hinata… the girl is a menace… her water affinity surpassed Tsunade’s imagination and besides learning multiple water release jutsu she mastered her [Hydrification Technique]. Now able to use it at will to nullify impacts and cuts she is unbeatable in physical combat.She also learned a few tricks based on the technique but says they are still a work in progress.
They also informed of what Tsunade and Shizune had been up to…
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and Sakura had to repeat the same sentence 3 times before I could believe I was not in genjutsu.
Orochimaru is in for a big surprise…
This reminds me... I hadn’t gotten to test the limits on Anko but I’m still afraid to test her.
Her body adhered to the senjutsu chakra in Orochimaru's curse body… and since then it has merged with her chakra naturally. She has had to retrain her chakra control since then but her body is now as tight as a brick.I would know… it takes chakra empowering my hand to leave any mark on her unprotected skin.
Needless to say with her superion Jonin level experience, reflexes and physique she managed to keep our team still in check when training.Sakura was unable to hurt her and Hinata required a heavy chakra move to draw any blood from Anko while my sword just barely knicks her skin on impact.
We then worked on testing Kurenai’s abilities.
Her genjutsu skills remain superb but unchanged from previously.It was when she tried her other range of skills that she noticed the difference.When traveling through surfaces she realized her chakra could link up to the existing forestation.
When linked she can feel a tree and its surrounding plants connected via their roots and compel her chakra through them to grow or move as she pleases, she could even extract chakra from the tree, withering it in the process.
This gave her a crucial role.
To be on the lookout for a particularly ugly being, able to merge with flora and the ground.
She was now slowly establishing a large connection between the roots of every tree she could find.
In a day our mansion was now guarded against the intrusion of the Zetsu.
Given time, she would slowly link all of Konoha under her control.
Even when not in contact with the tree-link Kurenai was able to set up a warning system as she passively got a feel for the surrounding nature around her and would be warned of any threat detected from the ground.
Over this week our main goal was planning, cooking up plans…
Every idea and opinion was written down…
Several hot debates on the pros and cons of each decision were had…
Every possible consequence was taken into consideration…
We spent the mornings training together, under Anko and Kurenai's tutelage, the afternoons planning, and I spent the night going from bedroom to bedroom…
Ino also showed up, finally back in Konoha a couple of days after Sakura and Hinata to help with the planning.
We kept a look from afar at Naruto, Sasuke and Shino’s first encounter with Gaara and his siblings, Temari and Kankuro.Fortunately, things went according to the vision with Shino being able to give intellectually rational answers to questions such as what 3 Genin from other villages are doing in Konoha, taking up Sakura’s role as the brain of the team aptly.
Until finally, the day of the Chunnin exams arrived
Like most mornings my Hyuga alarm clock woke me up at the perfect time.Hinata is well aware of all the potential girls we would be meeting and who might potentially join us.
She was honestly one of the more proactive ones in wanting to assist in the seduction plans and wishes to prove both her and my value in this exam to get the clan off her back, even though they've not come looking for her this past week.