Naruto: Swarm System

"Tsk, tsk, feeling pretty excited after unlocking those eyes, huh?"

Watching Sasuke run off, Shishou shook his head in exasperation and closed the door. When he returned to the bedroom, ready to resume his time with Hana, he found that she had already left.

Sighing, Shishou lay back down and continued sleeping.

In the following days, Sasuke caused quite a stir in Konoha, challenging Shino, Neji, Naruto, and Ringo Ameyuri one by one.

Thanks to the terrifying boost from his Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke's strength saw a comprehensive enhancement.

Even without using Amaterasu or Susanoo, he managed to overpower Shino, Naruto, and Neji in their duels.

However, when facing Ringo Ameyuri, a mistake caused by her Sage Mode led to his defeat. Even when he used Susanoo, she broke through its defense with her Sage Techniques, defeating him once more.

Recognized by Shishou as a genius in Sage Arts, Ringo Ameyuri had already been capable of entering Sage Mode for two years, making her more than a match for Sasuke's skeletal Susanoo, which lacked greater potency.

Despite being defeated by Ringo Ameyuri, Sasuke remained silent. Although still somewhat arrogant, he showed restraint by not using his Mangekyo Sharingan abilities like Amaterasu in front of everyone. Instead, he intended to learn Sage Arts from his older Uchiha sister mentor and find an opportunity to surpass Ringo Ameyuri.

The revelation of Sasuke's Susanoo shocked many, including Naruto and the other genin, as well as Kakashi and the higher-ups. However, it didn't cause much of a ripple among the Konoha elite.

After all, Mikoto had already informed Tsunade and Shizune.

Given Tsunade and Shizune's current strength, a Susanoo was hardly a threat and not something they needed to worry about. Tsunade simply added Sasuke's name to the list of potential Hokage candidates.

Indeed, after serving as Hokage for several years, Tsunade was preparing for her eventual retirement.

Impressed by Ringo Ameyuri's powerful Sage Techniques, Naruto became interested in learning Sage Arts as well.

Thus, Mikoto and Kushina, who had been secretly training Sasuke and Naruto, began teaching them Sage Techniques.

Hinata and Hanabi also started learning Sage Arts under the guidance of Hyuga Rimei.

As for the other young ninja of Konoha, they requested Tsunade and Shizune to teach them the methods of Sage Arts training.

In response, Tsunade generously instructed each clan and elite jonin to recommend two young candidates for Sage Arts training, with strict confidentiality requirements.

Shizune's role shifted from acting Hokage to Sage Arts instructor.

Consequently, various clans in Konoha recommended their geniuses, and elite jonin began recommending their disciples. Ino, Hinata, Shino, Neji, and the rest of the Twelve Ninja Guardians all started learning Sage Arts.

For a while, the pursuit of Sage Arts surged in Konoha.

However, as many struggled to make progress, the enthusiasm for Sage Arts training gradually waned, and Konoha residents returned to their usual routines.

In the end, only a few individuals persisted in their Sage Arts training.

It was only then that people in Konoha realized that not everyone could learn Sage Arts.

Shishou had anticipated this outcome.

Sage Arts were not something anyone could learn at will. The widespread success of those around him was largely due to his encouragement, guidance, and assistance, including the feedback from the White Snake Sage's bloodline.

Even so, it had taken skilled individuals like Mikoto and Yūgao several years to master Sage Arts, despite Shishou's help.

For those with less aptitude, mastering Sage Arts might be impossible in a lifetime.

This was why Shishou wasn't concerned about the Sage Arts techniques being spread.

The main reason was that Shishou could use this to further solidify his identity as Aburame Shishou.

If a significant number of people were training in Sage Arts, it would provide a plausible explanation if he were to accidentally reveal his Sage Mode or teach Ino and the others.

As one of Konoha's top geniuses, it would be reasonable for him to master Sage Arts in half a year.

Furthermore, with Naruto—the protagonist in the original story known for his Sage Mode—taking the spotlight, no one would suspect Shishou.

Thus, under the allure of Sage Arts, Shishou enjoyed a year of undisturbed peace.

Time swiftly passed, and spring of Konoha Year 68 arrived.

Konoha Year 68 was the year when the Fourth Shinobi World War broke out in the original story.

Now, Ino and Hinata were 17 years old.

During this year, Naruto was the first to succeed in Sage Arts training, taking four months and becoming the first Konoha ninja to achieve it.

Naruto's accomplishment surprised Kakashi and the others, who hadn't expected the supposed dead last to be a Sage Arts prodigy.

Of course, Naruto's Sage Mode was still the same as in the original story, relying on the feedback mechanism of shadow clones. He needed to continue training to enter Sage Mode directly.

Two months after Naruto's success, Shishou, under his Aburame Shishou persona, announced his own success in Sage Arts training, once again shocking everyone.

As for Sasuke, his talent in Sage Arts was somewhat lacking.

Moreover, Naruto's four-month success added pressure, slowing Sasuke's progress even further.

Thus, Mikoto turned to Shishou for help.

After agreeing to some rather unequal terms, including cosplaying as a nun and teacher among other roles, Shishou began guiding Sasuke.

Despite his slower start, Sasuke was still a protagonist in the original story and the reincarnation of Indra. With Shishou's extensive guidance, Sasuke finally found the key to Sage Arts training and successfully entered Sage Mode.

Seeing Naruto and Sasuke's talent for Sage Arts, Shishou couldn't help but marvel at their potential, truly living up to their protagonist status.

While it had taken Shishou several years to master Sage Arts and enter Sage Mode, Naruto and Sasuke had achieved it in just ten months and a year, respectively, defying logic.

Compared to them, Neji and Shino's progress in Sage Arts training was much slower. After a full year, they had yet to grasp the basics, hindering their other ninja training.

As for Ino and Tenten, Shishou secretly provided them with small doses of the White Snake Sage's bloodline, aiding their progress. Although they hadn't mastered Sage Arts within a year, their progress was steady.

Shishou believed that with a few more years, they would successfully enter their own Sage Modes.

Meanwhile, Shishou himself had successfully awakened the bloodlines of the One-Tail, Two-Tail, Three-Tail, Six-Tail, Eight-Tail, and Nine-Tail within the year.

The bloodlines of the Four-Tail, Five-Tail, and Seven-Tail were also on the verge of awakening.

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POWER STONE!!!!

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This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at [email protected]/Betek.

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