Chapter 204 - Dungeons and Kages

It was evening when Daichi and his superior reached the village. Both ninjas were in front of the Hokage and finished their debriefing of the mission.

"Daichi, there were several instances where things could have gone beyond your control but thankfully none of them happened and everything worked out well in the end. That's good. But be more careful next time and let your Jonin in on your plans, yes?"

"Yes. Lord Hokage." Daichi replied with a small bow.

"Cheer up young Daichi. You completed the mission successfully and the Minister is satisfied with the results. That's a win in my book." Hiruzen had a smile as he looked at the Genin. 'Sending him to Tsunade was a brilliant idea.'

"You did good work Daichi. You completed your first B Rank mission almost flawlessly. Not many Genin can say that." The old kage praised the boy.

"Thank you Lord Hokage." Daichi gave a small bow and replied.

"Have you decided what you want to request from the Fire Daimyo?"

Daichi was silent for a moment and then answered. "I have a few things in mind but I haven't made any decisions."

Hiruzen nodded and then spoke in a serious tone. "Fair warning Daichi. Lord Ryuga is not a simple man. Be very careful when you deal with him. And think very carefully before you make your decision." Hiruzen knew what kind of a man the Fire Daimyo was. He didn't want Daichi to fall into his palms.

The Genin took the warning seriously and silently nodded. He was dismissed shortly after and headed straight home. Daichi quickly arrived at his house and saw Kensei sitting on the porch.

"Hey Gramps. Getting bored?"

"I suppose. It has been dull here without you to entertain me." Kensei replied with a small laugh. "I thought your mission would take longer?"

"No. It was just to heal someone. The Minister's nephew."

Kensei's eyes narrowed as he heard that. "You had contact with members of the Royal court?"

Daichi nodded. He looked at the serious expression on Kensei's face and frowned.

"Daichi, tell me everything about your mission?"

"What's wrong, Gramps?"

The old ninja sighed and spoke. "There is a power struggle going on in the capital. Just like one that's going on in the shadows here in the village. You need to be careful who you ally with."

Daichi nodded and recapped the whole mission. After hearing everything Kensei sat back and just let out a deep breath of air. "Lord Taji is a reasonable man. And he has honor. Having him as an ally is certainly a good thing. But the problem is, you're now considered as a threat to those looking to bring him down. You need to be careful if you ever go to the capital. They won't attack you outright or anything but you should be vigilant."

The young Gamer ninja nodded his head. 'I need to get stronger. It's time to begin the Academy Dungeon. I've been putting it off for too long.'

—-

The Hokage gave Daichi a few days off to rest and recuperate after the mission. 'The Academy dungeon is different from the ones I've completed so far.' Daichi recalled the information about the special dungeon.

[Location dungeon: Player will have to go to the dungeon specific locations to access them. These are long term dungeons with strong and weak opponents. Once the dungeon is activated it will remain active for 1 year before disappearing. Players can enter and exit the dungeon anytime during the active period. Exiting the dungeon is impossible when in enemy sight. Players can stay inside the dungeon for up to 24 hours(Dungeon time), at a time. Once exited, the dungeon will have a cooldown of 3 hours in real world time. Real world time and Dungeon time is - 01:06 ratio. Whatever happens in the dungeon will not affect the real world.]

'A 1:6 ratio huh. That means only 4 hours would pass in the real world if I spend the full day in the dungeon. And another 3 hours is needed for dungeon cool down. Depending on the number of enemies in there, I'll have to make multiple visits to the dungeon. And what happens when the dungeon time is up and I'm in enemy sight? And it says it will remain active for 1 year before disappearing. Will the dungeon be there even after I complete it? If so then that could come in handy.'

The Genin had several thoughts running through his mind as he laid in bed. He went to sleep and the next day visited the academy during the lunch break. Daichi secretly created a shadow clone and had him interact with his friends while he went to an old unused room in the academy.

'This room is only used for storage of old files. No one comes here any more. This will be an excellent spot.'

Daichi checked his surroundings with the Mana scout and made sure he was alone.

[You have found the Academy dungeon. Would you like to activate this dungeon?]

[Y/N]

'So I can enter the dungeon from anywhere within the dungeon location. Good to know.'

Daichi clicked yes and immediately was transported to the dungeon. Unlike the previous ones he wasn't transported to a tunnel to reach the entrance. Daichi appeared at the outskirts of a very large compound. The dungeon had daytime with the sun slowly rising in the sky.

Daichi quickly recognized the large building at the center. 'This place is a replica of the Academy with some small differences.'

He looked at his map and noticed the barrier surrounding the dungeon. 'So I'll have to stay within the vicinity huh.'

At that moment a new quest appeared and his dungeon titles activated.

[Quest Created - 'Complete the Academy dungeon']

.

[Time limit: 1 year(Real World Time)]

.

[Rewards:]

New Skills.

New Title.

250000Ryo

.

[Failure:]

Death.

.

[Accept] (Y/N)

'Yes. I accept.'

Immediately red dots began to appear on Daichi's Mini Map. A timer also appeared below the holographic map. It was counting down from 24 hours. The young Genin looked at the Academy and used Observe skill.

[Academy Dungeon.]

[This dungeon and its inhabitants are created based on the real world Ninja Academy. 1125 enemies reside in this dungeon. The ninjas inside this dungeon vary from strong to weak. This Dungeon has a 1 Year time limit.]

'Let's do this.'

Daichi created 8 shadow clones. He instructed two clones to stay at the outer area and meditate while he sent the rest to scout the enemies and area.

'I shouldn't move on the assumption that this building is an exact replica of the Ninja Academy in the outside world. And there could be traps and hidden ninjas waiting to attack. I need to be careful.'

The shadow clones used their stealth skill and moved towards the building. They used 'observe' skill on every ninja and saw that some had low level and weak stats while some were as strong as chunins. The clones made sure to stay hidden and gather intel on the enemy forces. Daichi wanted to use this dungeon to increase his battle strategies and fighting skills.

'Level 20 is the weakest I've seen till now. And then there was a Chunin level ninja at Level 63 near the entrance of the Academy.'

After about an hour of recon, the gamer ninja decided that it was time to attack. Daichi created a clone and dispelled it, relaying the message to the others and the battle began.

—-

Hokage Tower.

Deep beneath the Hokage tower Tobirama and Hiruzen were having a meeting.

"Has that Jonin Kakashi learned the Jutsu yet?" The reanimated Hokage asked his former student.

"Almost. Based on the report he sent yesterday, he should have it ready in a couple weeks or so."

Tobirama nodded. "The revised version of the Teleportation jutsu has certain limits. The most pressing one is range. Then there is the chakra cost. For now that Jonin will experience a huge drain in his reserves every time he uses it but that problem will be gone once he becomes more proficient in it. But for the moment this will have to do. The information collected during his training will also help those that will learn the jutsu after him."

"Indeed. I've also changed the barrier formula as per your instructions. The security around the village has been updated. How goes your research into the Reanimation jutsu Lord Second?"

"I'm almost done creating the sealing jutsu needed. Since the body of the Reanimation will heal, we will have to target the soul. There are a few jutsu that are capable of that…"

"But all of them demand the exchange of the user's life."

Tobirama turned towards his successor. "Yes. And that's not something we can afford at this time. You sacrificing your life won't do this village any good right now. I have a plan to stop the Reanimation jutsu without resorting to such drastic measures."

Hiruzen was surprised that the man found a solution so quickly.

Tobirama spoke. "I've been going over the Uzumaki clan records and Lady Mito's personal notes. There is a way to free the soul from the body of a Reanimation. I've been developing a jutsu that separates the soul from the body. It's nearing completion. But I will need a couple of test subjects to research and collect data."

Hiruzen closed his eyes and sighed hearing that. 'For a second he sounded like Orochimaru. But unlike my student, sensei knows the value of life.'

"I'll make the arrangements." The old Kage had a small frown on his face as he thought about such a powerful jutsu. "Can this method be used on the living?" 'In the process of finding a solution, we don't want to create an even bigger problem.'

Tobirama shook his head. "No. This jutsu will be useless against the living. It will only work on the dead because they are supposed to be dead. Using the Reanimation jutsu means to bring the souls to the living realm and forcefully binding it with a sacrifice. This forbidden nature is the very reason why the jutsu will only work on those that are in a reanimated state."

"But a technique of such nature would require some price to pay wouldn't it?"

At Hiruzen's question Tobirama sighed. He looked at the old man and answered. "Yes. There is a certain condition to use this sealing jutsu. It will need Nature energy to power it. To fight against the forbidden nature of the Reanimation Jutsu, normal chakra isn't enough. We need to use Nature Chakra."

Hiruzen was shocked. "Nature energy? You mean using Sage jutsu chakra?"

"Indeed. We will need someone who can harness Nature chakra to power the seal."

The old Kage was silent for a moment and then spoke. "I have a student. He learned how to use Natural Energy from Mount Myoboku."

The second Hokage raised an eyebrow at that. "Mount Myoboku? Are you referring to the Land of the Toads?"

"Yes. He has signed a summoning contract with the Toad clan. And he has been trained in using Nature energy." Hiruzen replied.

Tobirama nodded. "Summon him. We will need to complete this seal as soon as possible."

"Yes. It'll be done."

A few seconds later Tobirama sighed, stopped his work and looked at Hiruzen. "Tsunade is still roaming outside these walls isn't she?"

The old Kage closed his eyes and just nodded his head.

The eyes of the Second Hokage narrowed. Hiruzen looked at the man and immediately knew the reanimated kage was not happy with his living clan member.

"If you want, I will summon her."

"No." Tobirama shook head at Hiruzen's suggestion. "I will need to speak with her before I go. But not now. If we suddenly gather forces to the village it will look suspicious."

The ruling kage nodded. "There is something else I've been meaning to ask. Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, used the Reaper Death seal to stop the nine tails and protect the village. His soul is still in the Shinigami's belly. I've been looking for a way to free him from that prison."

The silver haired Kage nodded his head in understanding. He wasn't going to let a kage who protected the village suffer if he could help it. "I've already been thinking about it. I will free his soul when the time comes."

Hiruzen was glad and both of them worked on their projects in comfortable silence. A short while later Tobirama asked a question.

"How is Danzo? Has he created any trouble lately?"

Hiruzen could hear the frustration and anger hidden in his sensei's voice. He quickly replied. "No. Surprisingly he's been quiet. He hasn't made any moves."

Tobirama narrowed his eyes and looked at his former student. "But…"

The old kage sighed and spoke. "But my spy has informed me that Root is still active. They have been conducting operations outside our borders. He doesn't know the details but he's keeping his ear to the ground. My spy has already compiled a list of Danzo's agents."

The Second Hokage stopped his work and crossed his arms. "How did he change so much?.. The only reason I haven't gone after him till now is because you told me he still has some semblance of loyalty to the village. But the more I hear, the harder it becomes to believe that. What happened to him?"

Hiruzen looked down and was quiet for a few moments. He recalled the incident that scarred and changed his friend. "Danzo had a son. The child was capable in the shinobi arts. He became Genin at 9 and Chunin at the age of 11. When he was 13 he and his team were escorting an important client through the border of the Fire country. They were headed to a meeting composed of merchants from the 5 great nations. During the mission he along with his teammates died to an enemy attack."

Tobirama's face slightly softened but he was still confused. "It's unfortunate that something like that happened. But he knows that the life of a shinobi could end at any time. Why would this change him so much?"

"It was during this time we were establishing our information network throughout the nations. Just shortly before the mission, Danzo received intel that enemy forces might be in the area. But since it would have caused an international incident, he didn't send anyone else. And it cost us. It's one of his greatest regrets. After that he became more headstrong and took action without waiting for my permission. With his Root acting in the shadows, he was able to divert many threats and kept the village safe. But somewhere along the way he began to put his own interests above the village's. He wanted to take my position. And now… It's come to this."

Tobirama closed his eyes and slightly shook his head. "Even going as far as colluding with a traitor and using my brother's DNA for experiments."

Hiruzen looked at the man for a few seconds and spoke. "Are you going to confront him?"

Tobirama opened his eyes and it had a hardened glint to them. "When the time comes. I'm going to give him a chance. If he decides to do the right thing, then we'll end this peacefully without the village knowing anything. If he doesn't, then we'll end things on my terms."

"I understand sensei."

Tobirama continued on with his work and then decided to switch topics. "Are there any promising talents in the village? Any other Jonin who is as skilled as Kakashi Hatake?"

"Well there are a few. But Kakashi is the best. There aren't many Jonin like him save a few."

Tobirama cocked his head at his student. "You're holding back something."

Hiruzen sighed knowing he couldn't hide anything from the sharp senses of the man in front of him. "Well, it's not a Jonin but a Genin. A Genius in the ninja arts. He possesses talent and potential that could possibly surpass even yours Lord Second."

The second Hokage stopped what he was doing and looked at the old man. "Really? A child with such potential?"

"Yes… He…" Hiruzen was hesitant for a moment but then decided to tell the man about Daichi. "He's training in the third step of the Change in chakra nature of water. And based on the reports, he's already learned how to harness water from the atmosphere just like you."

Tobirama's eyes widened when he heard that piece of information. "Tell me everything about him."

---------------

Author's Note.

I didn't want this chapter to be just about Daichi's dungeon.

And regarding Danzo's son. It's kinda hard to believe a man like that wouldn't want a son to leave his legacy behind. To pass on his teachings. Now he might not be the kind of man who would fall in love but I believe he would have wanted a strong child.

Now rest assured, Danzo's son is dead. And he isn't coming back. That plot thread will stay dead and buried.