Chương 154: The Fundamental Math of a Six-Man Guard

In theory, every sentient soul in the shinobi world harbored the latent potential to manifest the Wood Style; in practice, however, that mathematical probability bordered on absolute zero. Zhen Dongye's soul was an exotic anomaly, a foreign entity detached from the native fabric of this world—a vital distinction that allowed him to harness the pristine white natural energy. Yet, his physical vessel remained fundamentally indistinguishable from any native inhabitant.

His ascension to this realm was not a physical transposition of his original body, but an authentic reincarnation through the biological matrix of birth. Even though the systemic purging by the white natural energy had violently evicted the foreign consciousness woven into his chakra, the foundational blueprint of his mortal biology remained unchanged.

By that deduction, the primary seed of the Wood Style still lingered within his cellular makeup; it was merely buried beneath insurmountable layers of genetic obscurity. Zhen harbored no sense of urgency. His pursuit of the Wood Style was born of intellectual curiosity rather than a desperate hunger for tactical amplification; its ultimate evasion mattered little to his overall martial supremacy. Beside him, however, Yamato misread the silence, interpreting the youth's deep contemplation as a sign of frustration.

Following a period of intense deliberation, the boy reached a consensus with himself.

"Um... excuse me..." he began, his voice faltering. Sensing the underlying trepidation, Zhen interrupted smoothly.

"Just call me Zhen. I shall address you as Yamato. Unless, of course, you truly harbor a burning desire to adopt the role of my subordinate younger brother?" Internally, Yamato found the notion of an elder sibling remarkably appealing. Yet, given the brevity of their acquaintance, a lingering awkwardness stayed his tongue; he lacked the familiarity required to articulate such sentiments. Zhen's casual dismissal of formalities provided a welcome reprieve.

"Zhen... do you require my assistance?" Zhen pondered the offer briefly.

"Yamato, the techniques I observed today primarily yielded refined timber. Are you capable of manifesting organic vegetation? Living trees, to be precise?"

"I can," Yamato replied, extending an open palm without hesitation.

"Hold your execution for a moment. I must introduce my own chakra to analyze the structural transformation in real-time. Do you permit this?" For a shinobi, allowing a foreign chakra signature to breach one's internal pathways was an act of extreme vulnerability—a functional surrender of life and death into another's hands.

Ironically, the Sage of Six Paths had originally propagated chakra as a medium of spiritual resonance, a tool to interlink human hearts, foster mutual comprehension, and dissolve the frictions of mortality. In the contemporary era, that noble paradigm had been thoroughly discarded by the military caste. Yet Yamato yielded without a trace of reservation.

"You may proceed." Zhen extended his hand, cradling Yamato's palm. Deploying both his refined chakra and acute sensory perception in tandem, he focused his consciousness entirely upon the genesis of the Wood Style. As energy coalesced within Yamato's palm, a pristine, vibrant sapling slowly breached the skin, its emerald leaves tender and indistinguishable from any flora found in the wild.

In the orthodox tapestry of time, Yamato's strategic deployment of the bloodline leaned so heavily toward structured timber that it birthed a prevailing misconception that he lacked the First Hokage's capacity for living vegetation. In truth, the capability existed; he simply rationed its use. To facilitate Zhen's analysis, he unveiled it now. Witnessing a complex organism erupt directly from human flesh carried an undeniable undercurrent of body horror.

Fortunately, the interface where the roots merged with his palm was an elegant, natural transition devoid of visceral gore; otherwise, the spectacle would have triggered a severe psychic shock. Zhen scrutinized the feedback. He noted that during the invocation, the Earth and Water chakra within Yamato's pathways entered a state of extraordinary hyperactivity. This was not a violent fluctuation of power, but an elegant resonance vibrating with pure vitality.

As the two distinct elemental matrices intertwined and fused within the meridian network, they underwent an enigmatic mutation, abruptly manifesting as the Wood Style.

"What is the precise sensation during the synthesis?" Zhen inquired.

"The sensation? There is none to speak of. It functions precisely like a basic instinct." Having acquired the bloodline via the integration of Hashirama's biological material, the execution was pre-programmed into his physiology; Yamato lacked the theoretical framework to articulate the mechanics. Observing the boy's tightly compressed lips, Zhen probed further.

"Does the distinction between structural timber and living flora impose a significant burden? You appear strained."

"Slightly."

"Cease the execution immediately." The sapling dissolved, seamlessly retracting back into Yamato's flesh.

"The quantitative chakra expenditure between the two forms is relatively negligible," the boy explained.

"However, the genesis of living wood demands something beyond mere energy. There is a... a distinct drain that induces a profound lethargy."

"A systemic depletion of vital essence?" Zhen deadpanned.

"Like a severe case of renal exhaustion?" Yamato blinked.

"What constitutes renal exhaustion?"

"Ah. That is a mystery you will unravel upon reaching maturity, provided you secure a plural marriage." Are women truly that perilous? The adolescent Yamato recorded the warning with solemn gravity, silently resolving to maintain a calculated distance from the opposite sex for the remainder of his days.

"Did you locate the critical catalyst for the formation?" Yamato asked.

"No," Zhen admitted.

"Should I invoke it once more?"

"Unnecessary. I have already cataloged the precise wave frequencies and structural nature-transformation profiles of your Earth and Water chakra. It is a monumental harvest. The remaining synthesis I can develop incrementally through personal experimentation. Get some rest." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Understood." At his core, Yamato was merely an unfortunate soul who had fallen into the predatory clutches of Orochimaru and Danzo; beneath the conditioning, he remained a fundamentally earnest, guileless youth devoid of malice. Yet, the stark disparity between timber and living wood lingered in Zhen's thoughts. The creation of life evidently demanded an asset far scarcer than mere chakra. As a product of Root's rigorous crucible, Yamato's martial competencies required no refinement.

His deficiencies lay entirely in basic social intelligence and standard interpersonal mechanics—gaps that only time could bridge. Because the Third Hokage and Kakashi had simply marooned the boy in his custody without delineating a formal operational mandate, Zhen was left with a persistent migraine. Left with no alternative, he escorted the boy to his shift. Within the Anbu ready room, Yugao Uzuki pointed an inquiring finger at the newcomer.

"Zhen, who is this? A fresh transfer into our ranks?"

"Something of that nature," Zhen replied evasively.

"But neither our unit nor Genma's squad faces a deficit in personnel," Yugao noted, suddenly leaning forward until her face was inches from Yamato's.

"Wait a moment... have our paths crossed previously? Your physical silhouette feels remarkably familiar." Yamato noted that the Black Ops environment was fundamentally distinct from the frozen isolation of Root; the personnel possessed a vibrant warmth, suggesting an easy camaraderie. Yet, regarding the young woman before him... the earnest boy recalled Zhen's nocturnal counsel and quietly executed two deliberate steps backward, establishing a conservative perimeter from Yugao.

It did not take long for Yugao and Hayate to discern his identity through minor operational details.

"Zhen," Hayate remarked, surprise coloring his tone, "how did an operative of his background materialize within our jurisdiction?"

"Forgo the interrogative details. Suffice it to say, he is our compatriot moving forward."

"That expands our active deployment to four assets. Factoring in our commanding officer, that brings the tally to five. Does that not violate standard operational limits?"

"It does not," Kumie Gekko interjected, stepping into the ready room. The veteran Jonin had clearly been briefed on Yamato's disposition.

"As you are well aware, my administrative obligations have intensified significantly. It is no longer feasible for me to operate as your commanding Jonin in the field. Furthermore, given your contemporary combat proficiencies, the oversight of a supervising officer has rendered itself obsolete. Effective immediately, Squad Gekko is officially disbanded.

Zhen Dongye is hereby appointed Commander of the Fourth Hokage's Sovereign Guard, assuming administrative authority over the operational deployment of Kinoe, Hayate, Genma, and the remaining six assets."

"Yamato is to be integrated into the Sovereign Guard as well?" Zhen clarified. Recording the new moniker mentally, Kumie nodded.

"Affirmative. Henceforth, the management of the Sovereign Guard rests entirely upon your shoulders. Do you accept the mandate?"

"Without reservation."

"Excellent. Ensure Yamato's updated documentation is submitted to my desk before the conclusion of the shift." Zhen viewed Hiruzen's decision to plant this newly liberated Wood Style asset directly within the Fourth's inner circle as a highly positive geopolitical signal. It demonstrated that the elder statesman had finally recognized the shifting tides, systematically paving the way for Minato's eventual restoration to absolute executive power.

As for the structural anomaly of a six-man guard expanding to include a seventh member? It was a triviality. If it was universally acknowledged that the Four Heavenly Kings comprised five individuals, then the concept of a six-man guard boasting seven members was simply a standard law of the universe. Within the Namikaze estate, Kushina Uzumaki's cognitive space was entirely consumed by infant care, transforming the formidable Yellow Flash into a model domestic partner who savored the tranquil bliss of his hearth.

He appeared so thoroughly immersed in this pastoral lifestyle that one might deduce he had forgotten his sovereign station entirely. Summoning Zhen into the study, Minato gestured toward the courtyard.

"The youth outside—is he the Wood Style user, Kinoe, discovered within the subterranean facility?"

"Precisely. Though his identity has transitioned to Yamato, operating under the Anbu designation Otus. Did Kakashi detail the development to you?"

"Not merely Kakashi; the Lord Third visited my quarters last evening to discuss the deployment personally."

"I see. It appears the Third is genuinely altering his operational philosophy. It bodes well for the village."

"Ha ha ha!" Minato let loose a vibrant, carefree laugh, scratching his golden hair.

"In truth, I find myself hoping the Lord Third retains the executive seat for a few more winters. It grants me the luxury of time to assist with Naruto; the burden is far too severe for Kushina to bear alone."

"It appears that to you, Lord Minato, a quiet hearth takes precedence over the mantle of supreme authority."

"They possess equal gravity," Minato replied, his expression softening into one of absolute resolve.

"Both are realms I have sworn my life to preserve. Consequently, I must maximize the utility of these intervening years. I have reached an accord with the Two Sages of Mount Myoboku; starting today, I shall spend my daylight hours training in their realm. I leave the security of this estate in your capable hands, Zhen."

"Rest your mind on that front. However, Lord Minato, considering the sheer volume of raw ingredients you procured this morning, do you intend to depart without preparing the midday meal? I doubt Lady Kushina will look upon such negligence with favor." Minato's lips curved into an uncharacteristically sly smile.

"Your mother mentioned during a casual exchange that a certain prodigy within her household possesses rather sublime culinary talents." Zhen: "..." The Yellow Flash was a remarkably devious individual. May your daily regimen at Mount Myoboku comprise nothing but a two-pound buffet of subterranean insects.