Chapter Seventeen: Detonation Effects (Part 2)

The Hokage, along with four ANBU members, promptly escorted the main culprit, Kushina, and the accomplice, Kenji Nakamura to the Hokage's office.

At this point, they were facing charges of damaging Konoha's environment, disrupting the ecological balance, and affecting the water cycle. But what was far more severe was the accusation of damaging Konoha's protective barrier.

Kushina was a dangerous person capable of endangering Konoha's entire biodiversity. While she had engaged in such activities in the past, this scale of altering the landscape was unprecedented.

Inside the Hokage's office, Kushina and Kenji stood at attention, receiving the stern scrutiny of the Third Hokage.

Kenji understood the gravity of the situation. During wartime, disrupting the Konoha barrier was an extremely serious matter. This might be the biggest mistake he had made in the year, and he was willing to accept the Hokage's judgment.

In the event that enemy ninja invaded Konoha due to the breach in the barrier, the consequences would be unimaginable. However, he was yet to realize that he himself would break this record within the next few days.

For now, he was thinking that it was necessary to save face for the Hokage. If not, the old man wouldn't be able to maintain his authority.

Only by letting the Hokage vent his anger could he then release them from that pressure and pardon Kushina and Kenji for their actions. Ultimately, this incident was an unintended accident. Strictly speaking, they successfully developed the Reverse Four-Symbol fuinjutsu, which is a big accomplishment for the village.

Apart from creating a large crater on the ground, the description of these negative consequences was as follows: complete destruction of the Konoha barrier within a 500-meter radius, and varying degrees of damage in the 1000 to 2000-meter range.

Indeed, this was the result of the first trial of the Reverse Four-Symbol fuinjutsu.

At this moment, five members of the fuinjutsu team were busy trying to repair the Konoha barrier.

While sitting in his chair, the Third Hokage finally calmed himself down, after spending several moments smoking from him's pipe.

"Tell me, Kushina, what did you do this time? What happen to the terrain, and how was the barrier destroyed?"

"Although the reconnaissance team didn't find any signs of battle there, they detected a significant amount of chakra residue, and it all belonged to you. If not..."

The Hokage was about to say that if it wasn't for sensing the Nine-Tails' chakra, he would think that the Nine-Tails had gone berserk. However, considering the presence of Kenji, a clueless young student, he refrained from revealing sensitive information.

The Hokage needed to be cautious with his words and not easily disclose important information.

There was no way around it; the level of secrecy surrounding the Nine-Tails was immensely high. It was like a nuclear missile silo – its location had to remain airtight.

"Hokage, although I often engage in mischief and occasionally cause small problems now and then, this incident was not intentional. We were conducting a fuinjutsu experiment there."

The Third Hokage maintained a silent exterior, but internally, he was roaring.

Did you really think that I wouldn't criticize you? Do you even realize you're causing trouble most of the time? Sure, you admit to causing some problems, but can those consequences be so easily summarized as 'small'?

Kushina glanced at the Hokage secretly and, seeing him remain silent, believed she could continue. So, she elaborated, "We were experimenting with the newly developed S-rank Reverse Four-Symbol fuinjutsu. We intentionally chose a secluded place for the experiment, but as I couldn't leave Konoha, we conducted it near the barrier's edge."

"But we didn't expect it would lead to the destruction of the barrier."

The Third Hokage interrupted Kushina's words, showing a hint of interest upon realizing what technique they were working on. He was indeed interested in the results of their experiment.

"You failed."

Of course, the Hokage hoped that the experiment would succeed. However, considering the damage on-site and the similarity to the situation when a fuinjutsu lost control, coupled with the fact that the Reverse Four-Symbol fuinjutsu was entirely different in effect and purpose from the previous technique, he suspected that Kushina might have failed.

"Ah, it's not a failure. Our experiment was a success, fully achieving the pre-designated effects of the technique. The range of its effect was even greater than anticipated. The only drawback is that using this technique requires a significant amount of chakra. Ordinary ninja might not be able to handle it."

Kushina seemed slightly displeased by the Hokage's skepticism, but since she was currently in a situation where she was considered a criminal, she had no choice but to suppress his emotions and explain.

"Well, it seems you've failed. However, that's alright. As long as you keep trying, it's fine. To be honest, I'm quite satisfied with your current progress. Just hold on a bit longer, and you'll..."

At this point, the Hokage finally realized that Kushina was claiming they succeeded.

"Wait, Did you just say that it works?"

"Yes. We were able to finish the fuinjutsu."

"You mean you developed this technique on your own, and your efficiency was even higher than that of a few fuinjutsu teams combined? How is that possible?"

The Hokage was puzzled.

"It wasn't just me who worked on it. My disciple and I completed this technique together. I handled the design, while he managed the calculations. Given his aptitude for calculations, he's far more efficient than a fuinjutsu team."

At this point, the Third Hokage's gaze shifted to Kenji.

This meant that Kenji's strategy of pretending to be invisible had failed. After being "invited" by the Hokage, he had been attempting to blend into the background environment. However, he hadn't expected that Kushina would quickly reveal his presence.

According to Kenji's original plan, he didn't want to interact with Konoha's upper echelons. Not because he was hiding any secrets or harbored negative feelings toward them, but he simply wished to live freely as a happy lower-ranked ninja.

Of course, he had long realized that his wish was an unrealistic one, given that he had become Kushina's disciple. Yet, he hadn't anticipated being exposed so soon.