Naruto: This Genius is Somewhat Ordinary-Chapter 399

Night settled in slowly.

The moon rose high, casting a pale glow across the land, yet even its light was outshone by the brilliance erupting from Konoha’s back mountains. Residual power from the Sage of Six Paths still radiated there, fierce and dazzling.

No one noticed.

Tōma had sealed the disturbance completely.

At last, the fluctuations faded. Standing where the light had been were two golden figures, each with five black spheres floating calmly behind them.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at themselves, stunned by the sheer presence of the power surrounding their bodies.

"So this is... the Sage’s power," Sasuke muttered, raising his hand. The sun-and-moon mark on his palm gleamed sharply. Even half of it felt overwhelming. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Is this really something a human is meant to wield?

The thought surfaced instinctively, only for Sasuke to glance at Tōma and silently dismiss it.

Compared to him, even this didn’t close the gap.

Even now, with his enhanced eyes, Sasuke still couldn’t see the limits of Tōma’s strength.

"How strong is he... really?" Sasuke wondered.

Naruto exhaled slowly, eyes wide. "This power’s insane. If we use this, the war could end way faster, right?"

"Enough," Tōma said. "Your first lesson isn’t how to use it. It’s how to put it away."

Naruto nodded eagerly and shut his eyes.

Nothing happened.

Minutes passed. Naruto remained a glowing golden silhouette. Sasuke fared slightly better, managing to suppress part of it, but the rest still leaked outward.

Both frowned.

This was harder than expected.

Tōma wasn’t surprised. They were handling power far beyond their natural level. Full control on the first try was unrealistic.

Still, control would come.

Eventually.

Tōma glanced at Naruto’s slower progress and sighed quietly.

Yet, strangely enough, Naruto began to catch up. By the end, the gap between him and Sasuke had nearly vanished.

Tōma’s eyes flickered with mild surprise.

In another life, Naruto had always been framed as a late bloomer. But when circumstances aligned, when his foundation wasn’t broken by loneliness, his talent showed itself clearly.

Maybe the problem had never been ability.

Maybe it was patience.

"Not bad," Tōma said. "Now for a short-term goal."

Both of them looked up.

"Create a Truth-Seeking Orb using only your own power," Tōma continued. "No Sage power. Just you."

He opened his palm. A black sphere condensed smoothly into existence.

Naruto squinted at it. "So that thing’s called a Truth-Seeking Orb?"

"Yes," Tōma replied. "It’s a balance of all seven chakra natures."

Naruto raised his hand. "But I only had Wind Release before, right?"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You really are hopeless."

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"After receiving this power," Sasuke said flatly, "your chakra nature gaps were filled. That includes all elemental affinities."

Naruto blinked. "...Oh."

Sasuke felt tired on a spiritual level.

Tōma smiled faintly. Some things never changed.

"One more warning," Tōma added. "Practice this far away from people. Even a failed attempt can explode."

There were two kinds of detonations.

One was true collapse. Perfect balance pushed into total contradiction, compressed until it erased itself violently.

The other was expansion. Overwhelming force without destruction, using the orb’s intrinsic properties to erase targets.

The first wiped out armies.

The second erased gods.

"Got it," Naruto said seriously.

Sasuke nodded once.

With that settled, Tōma returned home.

That night, Fujimoto Sana and Yamanaka Ino were already there, waiting.

Tōma had explained everything beforehand.

What he intended wasn’t simple. Modifying the human body was delicate work, even for him. That was why he limited it to those closest to him.

With his intervention, neither Sana nor Ino would reach the Sage’s level overnight. That still depended on talent and effort.

But high-tier strength?

That was guaranteed.

Sana wouldn’t become a frontline fighter. Ino had better potential, but whether she could fully wield that power was her own challenge.

Still, there were... incentives.

Youth restored.

Aging delayed indefinitely.

Neither woman could resist.

Thus, the quiet beginning of Tōma’s most personal project began.

The next day, Tōma returned to the Hokage’s office.

With major preparations complete, life briefly returned to routine.

Briefly.

His processing speed had increased dramatically. One glance at a report was enough to absorb its contents. Decisions followed instantly.

Scrolls disappeared at an alarming rate.

Shikaku Nara watched the pile shrink and wiped sweat from his brow.

At this pace, one secretary wasn’t enough.

A full administrative team would be necessary. Perhaps even pulling in talent from other nations after unification.

Before Shikaku could finish the thought, an ANBU shinobi appeared.

"Hokage-sama. The Fire Country daimyō has arrived at Konoha’s gate. He has submitted a formal request to meet."

Tōma raised an eyebrow. "That fast?"

He accepted the document. The tone was polite. Almost deferential.

Not a demand.

A request.

"Escort him to the meeting room," Tōma said.

Shikaku’s eyes gleamed. If this went well, countless lives could be spared.

"He’s a capable man," Tōma remarked as they walked. "And he understands reality."

Soon, the Fire Country daimyō entered alone.

"Long time no see, Hokage-sama," the man said, smiling easily. The casual confidence was still there, but something fundamental had shifted.

"Call me Tōma," Tōma replied. "Titles matter less now."

The daimyō chuckled. "Power has always mattered more."

"Agreed," Tōma said simply.

The daimyō sighed. "Even before this, I knew shinobi could end me whenever they wished. The only reason I lived comfortably was Konoha."

"Yet you’re still here," Tōma said.

"Because I chose correctly."

Tōma nodded.

"So," he asked directly, "what brings you to Konoha today?"