Chapter 80: The Roaring Gale, Standing Before You Is...

Chapter 80: The Roaring Gale, Standing Before You Is...

On September 13th, Year 54 of the Konoha Calendar, a dense fog silently descended upon the village.

Luk Chuan-guang, still half-asleep, completed his daily task of waking up his brother and discovered a hidden NPC, "Ayame." As a reward, he received "Iron Fist of Love" and "Sugar-Coated Cannonball."

"The fog is really thick today."

Ayame frowned as she stepped outside, the white mist immediately flooding into the shop. Looking around, she saw that the entire village was shrouded in fog. She had never seen such a dense fog before; objects just a few meters away were already indistinct, and the loss of visibility made her feel uneasy.

Luk patted her head. "It hasn't rained in a long time, so a bit of fog is normal. There might even be a heavy rain tonight, so don't come over."

"Who said I was coming over!" Ayame blushed and lightly punched Luk's chest. "You're the one who's always clinging to me."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Luk apologized, feeling the thick moisture in the air and smiling. After a bit of playful banter with his girlfriend, he sent her back and returned to the shop, diving into the forging room.

A moment later, a few mosquitoes flew out of the window and disappeared into the dense fog.

...

In the Konoha Anbu headquarters, the chunin responsible for surveillance just finished his shift change when he noticed all the monitors were blank._

"Senior, what's going on?"

"It's the fog."

The off-duty chunin yawned. "It started in the middle of the night. At first, it was manageable, but it got thicker and thicker until it became like this."

"How are we supposed to monitor anything now?"

"Monitor the way you always do. Just keep an eye on the screens." The chunin, eager to get home and rest, rolled his eyes. "Just do what you're told, and don't worry about the rest. Do you really think they'll pay you more for being so serious?"

Young people are so stupid; they create work for themselves. That's not how you become a good shinobi.

"Or can you gather all the wind users in the village to see if they can disperse this fog?"

"I don't have that kind of skill..."

The new chunin chuckled nervously, nodding respectfully but with a hint of doubt.

"What if enemies attack during this fog?"

"This is Konoha, the strongest village in the Land of Fire, the most powerful nation among the Five Great Shinobi Countries. Who would dare to come here to die?"

"You're right. Senior, you can go rest. I'll handle this."

...

Luk hadn't actually planned to use the fog for an invasion. While "Lan" means "mountain fog" in Chinese, in Japanese, it refers to a violent storm. "Lanlong," the master of wind and water, doesn't directly control fog, but can influence it through wind manipulation.

The fog was purely a result of someone maliciously dispersing and controlling the rain, causing the water content in the air to gradually increase. When the weather manipulation finally stopped, it led to a sudden rebound.

As the sun slowly rose, its strong light and heat were partially blocked by the fog but gradually began to disperse it. The heavy mist gradually evaporated, rising into the air and forming thick clouds.

A heavy rainstorm was on the way!

...

This abnormal weather kept the residents of Konoha at home, and the streets were empty. All shops were closed, and even the Ninja Academy was closed for the day. The entire village came to a standstill.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, sitting in the Hokage's office, felt a vague sense of unease.

As he aged, his mindset had changed. In his youth, he was full of vigor and always eager to prove himself. But as he grew older, he became more worldly and cautious, losing the sharpness and daring he once had.

Putting down his paperwork, he closed his eyes wearily.

The trade relations with other ninja villages, the overall situation in the shinobi world, the surveillance of spies within the village, the internal conflicts in the Uchiha clan, and the need to check on Naruto's condition, promote the Will of Fire, and occasionally deal with the higher-ups in the Land of Fire—there was always more work to do. But he had to keep going; that was the job of the Hokage.

The door creaked open, and Danzo pushed it, looking displeased.

"Is there something you need, Hiruzen?"

Sarutobi picked up a booklet. "Recently, many shinobi have complained about the high prices of tools in the ninja equipment shop. Do you have any idea why?"

Danzo snorted. "How are they high? The prices have been the same for years. Those shinobi are just complaining. If they spent more time improving their rank and taking on more missions, they wouldn't be whining."

The shop owners had given Danzo a significant cut to keep the prices high, so he was naturally biased.

"You need to be more reasonable. Don't push things too far. Shinobi are the pillars of the village, and their treatment cannot be low."

Sarutobi sighed. In recent years, he had felt increasingly powerless. The Elder Council and Danzo had taken a lot of power away from him, and he was always soft on his former comrades...

Perhaps he was no longer suitable for this position.

But Danzo was definitely even less suitable!

"In peacetime, the wear and tear on ninja tools are minimal. A small premium is bearable and helps the village's economy."

Danzo mumbled, knowing that as a part of the village, his own wealth was a sign of the village's prosperity. The Root organization did a lot of dirty work, and all the credit went to Sarutobi. He felt quite aggrieved!

Not to mention, Sarutobi was the Hokage. If he could sit in that position, a little bit of extra work was nothing to complain about...

"More importantly, the Uchiha situation is much more serious. What have you and Shisui discussed?"

Danzo shifted the topic, steering the conversation away from the current issue.

"… Give Shisui a bit more time. If that doesn’t work, he’ll have to use his trump card."

"What kind of trump card?"

"You’ll see when the time comes."

Hmph, keeping everything a secret from him. How can someone who doesn’t trust their subordinates be Hokage? Danzo seethed inwardly. In his eyes, no one deserved to be Hokage except himself. Sarutobi was merely a few seconds faster in speaking up.

If only he had the resolve, he wouldn’t be the one standing here getting reprimanded. If it had been him offering to stay behind…

Danzo fell into a reverie, only to be jolted back to reality by a sudden thunderclap.

Rumble—

Several lightning bolts streaked through the dark, stormy clouds, casting a menacing grin below. The thunderous roar left a shadow of unease in the hearts of all who saw and heard it.

The power of the heavens, an unyielding force!

...

In the forge, Luk spread out his hand, and the final magical artifact in his plan lay in his palm—a transparent, colorless pair of glasses that no ordinary person could see: the Mirror of Infinite Transformations.

This artifact had only one function: to filter out anything he didn’t wish to see, essentially applying a blur. Since calling it the "Blur Mirror" sounded too mundane, Luk had chosen a more stylish name.

With all the elements of victory in place, Luk hummed a tune as he left the forge.

...

At dinner, against the somber, dim backdrop, Luk announced at the dining table that he planned to go to the Land of Iron for further training.

"So sudden?"

Kawasaki Natsuki seemed uneasy about her son’s plans.

"Not really. Actually, I’ve already asked Might Guy to scout the area," Luk explained with a smile. "Don’t worry, I’m not leaving right away. I’ll wait for Guy to report back and prepare myself before I go."

"The Land of Iron is just a stepping stone. Once my skills as a blacksmith are honed, I’ll consider going to the Land of Artisans, the ultimate destination for ninja blacksmiths."

Kawasaki Hikaru’s eyes lit up, and he stopped eating. "Does that mean our family’s craftsmanship will surpass that girl’s!"

He had always been bitter about how Tenten criticized his work as trash.

"Of course."

Luk patted his younger brother’s head and nodded with a smile.

If Conan could learn a hundred skills in Hawaii, why couldn’t he go to the Land of Artisans and build a Gundam?

Natsuki was still concerned. "Are you sure about this? We have enough money. If you find blacksmithing too tiring, you could always change jobs. Ichiraku even wants you to inherit his skills."

"No, it’s not that. The stagnation in Konoha is too suffocating," Luk shook his head. "We can be better."

"But..."

"Enough, Natsuki." Kawasaki Takumi interrupted his wife’s objections.

"Luk has grown up. He’s more capable than we are. If he wants to do something, let him. What choice do we have other than to support him?"

The quiet, serious man forced a smile for his son. "Do what you want. We’ll always have a warm meal waiting for you when you come back."

"Bro, remember to teach me when you’re done."

Perhaps sensing the impending farewell, he nuzzled against his older brother, not caring about appearances.

Natsuki began to worry about the weather in the Land of Iron, what clothes to pack, and other daily necessities.

Luk watched this scene and felt a genuine warmth. While having family around could be inconvenient, it was also what kept him human. Otherwise, he might have become a stranger even to himself after gaining power.

"Speaking of which, Guy has been gone for about ten days, right?" Kawasaki Takumi asked.

"Yep, ten days."

If he had acted immediately after Guy left the village, it would have raised too many suspicions. This timing was perfect; even if Guy rushed back, he wouldn’t make it in time, and the suspicion would be minimal.

One element of victory: removing Konoha’s highest combatant, the Eight Gates Guy, who could potentially turn the tide.

After dinner, the family said goodnight and returned to their rooms. During this time, his younger brother, feeling a bit scared by the thick, dark clouds and lightning, asked to sleep with Luk, but was mercilessly refused.

Luk had even turned down Shizuka for tonight’s operation, so his younger brother was no exception.

...

In the dead of night, Luk opened his eyes in the darkness.

He retrieved the magical artifacts from his storage, put on the Mirror of Infinite Transformations, and donned the Seamless and Divine Boots. In his hand, he held the Moonlight and wore the Faceless One and Silence Bracelet.

The second element of victory: equip properly before the mission, armed to the teeth.

A shadow clone took his place, lying back in bed, while Luk himself began to turn invisible.

The window opened and closed on its own, staying open for just a second.

Luk, using the Transparency Technique to hide his form, looked up at the sky and whispered.

"It can rain now."

Drip, drip!

At first, just a few drops of rain, but within seconds, the rainfall intensified into a torrential downpour, pounding on the roofs, ground, and leaves.

With the command of the wind and water gods, the dark, stormy clouds churned, releasing the pent-up rain.

Howling winds and pouring rain!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end