"Whoo!"
Itsuki took a puff of smoke, only to be choked by it, tears coming to his eyes.
Under Kurenai's helpless gaze.
Itsuki said, "Every year, Konoha sends us a lot of supplies. That's also why the Village of Hidden Flame has been able to develop so quickly."
The Village of Hidden Flame now was completely different from two years ago.
All the houses were built, and villagers no longer had to live in tents.
After all, Itsuki had planned out the residential and office areas in advance, so it was easy to build houses in designated spots.
When it comes to ninjas building houses, there's no reason for it to be slow. With chakra at work, it's like having a cheat code, not to mention there are Konoha ninjas like Tenzo helping out.
Then, Itsuki personally organized several matchmaking events to get bachelors married and have kids as soon as possible.
What the Village of Hidden Flame needed most was population.
Now that people had homes, the village became more stable.
Two large caravans kept bringing various supplies into the village.
And with Konoha's support, the supply situation became very abundant.
Itsuki even decided to store a batch for use during war.
"But!"
"In the eyes of the people of Konoha, it's a different story."
"They think they're supplying the enemy. Well, they're kind of right."
Itsuki rubbed his chin and said, "If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't agree to keep giving my own resources to feed the enemy either. Who wouldn't think that's foolish?"
"Nonsense!"
Kurenai shook her head dismissively. "Even if they didn't give us those supplies, you'd just take them yourself. Do they think they could stop you with the Flying Thunder God technique?"
Kurenai was a clear thinker.
Konoha was almost defenseless against Itsuki.
With a bit of time, he could clear out everything inside Konoha.
Even if they guarded the supplies with troops, could they really stop Itsuki?
He could wipe them all out.
If not for considering the Village of Hidden Flame, Itsuki would have been causing trouble all over the world by now.
"They probably think that if I stole it, at least they resisted!"
Itsuki showed an evil grin. "You see, a bit of resistance makes things more interesting, for both sides."
Kurenai was speechless. "So you mean Konoha cut off our supplies?"
"Yep, they only sent supplies for two years, two shipments. This time, they're not giving any!"
Itsuki shrugged and said, "I guess Hiruzen Sarutobi might have thought of a way to counter the Flying Thunder God."
"Counter the Flying Thunder God?"
"A special type of barrier."
Kurenai was stunned. "You know about it?"
"Of course!"
Without thinking, Itsuki said, "Even if I can't enter Konoha, I can still notice a lot from the outskirts."
Some people must have forgotten that Uchiha Itsuki was also a sage.
Even from Konoha's outskirts, in Sage Mode, he could sense everything inside Konoha.
If Naruto could sense all of Konoha, Itsuki, whose power now far surpassed Naruto's during the battle with Pain, could certainly do the same.
Kurenai fell silent.
For a long while.
"What are you planning to do?"
Itsuki stood up with a smile, getting dressed, and said, "After two years of development, the Village of Hidden Flame now has two thousand ninjas. The barrier is stable, the population is steadily increasing, and we have plenty of stored supplies. I'm not afraid of war!"
He glanced at his stats.
**[Uchiha Itsuki!]**
**[Age: 17]**
**[Ninjutsu: Level 7 (2%)]**
**[Taijutsu: Level 6 (32%)]**
**[Genjutsu: Level 7 (18%)]**
**[Kekkei Genkai: Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan {Ocular Power: Level 7 (44%)}]**
**[Chakra: 24 cards (16%)]**
...
**[Ninjutsu]**
**[Fire Release]**
**[Great Fireball Technique: Level 7 (9%)]**
**[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Level 7 (12%)]**
**[Dragon Fire Technique: Level 7 (41%)]**
...
**[Water Release]**
**[Water Bullet Technique: Level 7 (4%)]**
**[Water Dragon Bullet Technique: Level 7 (8%)]**
...
**[Lightning Release]**
...
**[Earth Release]**
...
**[Sage Technique: Level 7 (87%)]**
**[Flying Thunder God: Level 7 (2%)]**
**[Chakra: 241,121 points!]**
After over two years, all of Itsuki's stats had increased dramatically.
After all, he completed missions every day, day in and day out.
Small tasks added up, becoming something extraordinary.
Quantitative change leads to qualitative change!
"War..."
Kurenai lay down on the bed with a sigh.
"Will I have the chance to be on the battlefield?"
A graceful female voice sounded.
Pakura!
She hung her clothes over her neck and got dressed.
Just like that, simple!
Kurenai looked at her and suddenly got a headache. She quickly picked up a cloak and covered Pakura with it.
Pakura was startled, then angrily glared at Itsuki.
Kurenai's simple gesture made Pakura realize.
Her back must be covered in bite marks.
Uchiha Itsuki was just a big beast.
And he even looked down on Matatabi!
He bites harder than a tailed beast!
Itsuki chuckled and said, "Originally, I wanted you to stay and keep things stable. But if you want to be on the battlefield, I'll let Shisui stay behind."
Pakura wasn't an Uchiha.
So Itsuki chose her to manage the village in his absence.
She was strong enough, too!
The Village of Hidden Flame might have been Uchiha-centric, but there were plenty of other ninjas, and Itsuki needed to consider their feelings.
"Why not Itachi? You think more highly of him, don't you?"
"Shisui is my brother!"
"Understood!"
To be clear, the Village of Hidden Flame was still centered around Itsuki.
Over time, as other ninjas fought together, formed bonds, and got to know each other, things would change.
...
It seemed like there was some kind of shared understanding.
Just as Itsuki finished his preparations, other villages also began to act, as if by coincidence.
Things became more peaceful among the villages.
At this time, Itsuki received an invitation.
"Chunin Exam?"
Itsuki was puzzled.
Why does this feel a bit weird?
"Yes!"
Itachi said in a serious tone, "This Chunin Exam will be held in Konoha, jointly organized by Konoha and Sunagakure. The Third Hokage has invited all the hidden villages."
"Including the Village of Hidden Flame?"
"Of course!" Itachi said proudly, "The Village of Hidden Flame is now called the Sixth Hidden Village, surpassing Takigakure."
Takigakure used to be considered the leader of the second tier of villages, behind the Five Great Hidden Villages.
This was recognized by Senju Hashirama.
Back in the day, when the First Hokage distributed the tailed beasts to balance power, he specifically gave the Seven Tails to Takigakure, which was proof of their status.
Itsuki fell into silence.
Are we following the story now?
The Chunin Exam?
Konoha Crush Plan?
But the timing doesn't match.
And Sasuke is still here, while Naruto's team...
"Lord Mokukage, should we participate?"
"We're in!"
Itsuki said without hesitation. "You tell Konoha that the Village of Hidden Flame will participate in the Chunin Exam. Itachi, I remember your brother has met the requirements for promotion."
"Sasuke is indeed very talented!"
Itachi smiled at first, then said anxiously, "Lord Hokage, it's Konoha. Sending Sasuke there..."
Damn, if Sasuke goes now, he might not even leave bones behind.
"Don't worry!"
Itsuki showed a kind smile and said, "I'll choose some teammates for Sasuke. You'll be satisfied."
He thought for a moment and wrote down a name on a piece of paper:
Konan!
...It seemed like this might poke at Hiruzen Sarutobi's weak spot.
(End of Chapter)