Chương 20: I have a dream...

Lying in the hospital bed without a T. V in the room or even a wifi connection was inherently boring. Haruto had spent the past seventy two hours doing nothing but stare at the ceiling.

'I should've at least asked Kakashi to explain the method for training fire nature chakra in detail so that I could train while lying down on the bed.'

'Simply doing basic Chakra circulation to keep healing my body is getting tiring.'

'... At least I'm getting better at chakra control doing this.' If before Haruto took about a minute and a half to perform one circle around his chakra pathways with the basic chakra circulation method, he could now do it in thirty seconds after just three days of continuous effort. But the gains were also stagnating since the exercise wasn't hard anymore and Haruto found it hard to improve directly.

'Hmm… what do I do until then?' Eventually Haruto's mind drifted back to the moments of his fight with White Zetsu. He thought back to the moment the Dark God had blessed him with the knowledge and the experience of how to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu and it made him feel giddy.

'The Dark God is looking out for his devout believer!'

'He's waiting for me to do something great for him.'

'Will he gift me something else again?'

'No… I shouldn't depend on the Dark God without giving him something in return…'

'But what do I give the Dark God in return?'

'A sacrifice of more sinners? Like I gave him White Zetsu?' Knock Knock Two sudden repeated knocks struck the door causing Haruto to push himself up on his bed.

"Yes?" he voiced, somewhat weakly since speaking still put strain on his stomach which until recently had a hole in it. The door opened without his permission and in stepped an old man with a goatee wearing the customary Hokage hat with a white haori and a red full length kimono. Even if Haruto had been asleep, at this moment he was forced to push himself up on the bed and bow deeply.

"Good morning Hokage-sama." Haruto greeted, softly. Hiruzen walked slowly and gently placed his hand on Haruto's shoulder before speaking calmly, "It's alright child. You need not strain yourself like this." Haruto only then nodded and gently rested back in his bed, still only half lying down with his back resting against the pillow on the solid metal backrest.

There was a soft silence between the two for only a short few seconds before Hiruzen gently spoke again, "I heard about your new addition in the field of Computers last week Haruto-kun. A graph making software… truly a miraculous helping tool for the analysis and detection wing of the ANBU. I doubt there's anyone in the village that's more in the know about these things than you are." Haruto blushed, 'Who made this old man so good at flattering others! He'll make me blush!'

Pleased with Haruto's embarrassed response, Hiruzen continued speaking gently, "I heard that you were interested in joining the R&D department?" Haruto quickly nodded, 'That's the only way I have to develop a source of being able to study new jutsus.'

"Tell me, what do you think you'll be able to contribute to the field of Computers?" The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Haruto's pupils dilated, 'This is it… if I make a good impression here, I'll be able to sucker up all the resources I need.' It took a few seconds of silence as Haruto composed his words before he spoke softly but firmly, as if he were a visionary.

"Hokage-sama… I have a dream… that one day… every shinobi under the Hokage Rock will be able to, irrespective of their chakra nature, cast out any elemental jutsus that can form an impenetrable wall against the enemies of the village Hidden in the Leaf."

"I have a dream… that one day… the machines that can think for itself, that are currently used as nothing more than a paper printers… will be able to help us cast out innumerable jutsu that makes not just the Hokage of the Leaf a Professor of Ninjutsu but all shinobi of the leaf a professor of ninjutsu."

"I have a dream… Hokage-sama that one day when a comrade is injured, his team won't have to rush back to the Konoha Hospital but will be able to heal its teammate using the highest medical ninjutsu the Mystic Palm Healing technique without even knowing how to cast the jutsu."

"I have a dream Hokage-sama and I think that the dream can be fulfilled by the very machines that lie in neglect in the I. T department."

"I have a dream Hokage-sama where biology is no longer the limiting factor of a shinobi and only how much a shinobi can sacrifice according to the Will of Fire decides his limits!" Hiruzen's eyes were shining by the end of Haruto's little speech. A world where biology wouldn't be the limit? Where just about anyone would be able to cast any jutsu they wished? Where shinobi regardless of their rank could properly defend the village? Who wouldn't want such things? Konoha was currently in a talent drought.

No new shinobi had popped up in the village who could take up its burden during times of war. Apart from Kakashi and a handful of other shinobi from the Uchiha, every other shinobi in the village was only so-so in talent, nothing worth mentioning about. After Orochimaru's defection, Jiraya and Tsunade were on a near permanent leave.

And with the Uchiha recently growing distant from the village and also bolder in their actions, attacking civilian staffers in the ANBU in broad daylight, it was hard to say when a civil war would break out. And in such a condition, it was difficult to imagine how Konoha could emerge victorious if the other side would awaken multiple pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan. The risks the village was currently facing were enormous.

And under such conditions, Haruto's dreams, although fanciful, seemed full of fresh fragrances, a breath of fresh air. They had grabbed Hiruzen by his nostrils and forced him to close his eyes and just enjoy the vivid picture painted even if it was only for a few seconds. The village had already previously looked into trying to print seals using the computers to perform a variety of jutsu… but it had been deemed impossible. But if Haruto could succeed….

'Is this why the Uchiha want him dead?'

'Because he achieved this dream?' He had already summoned Fugaku and spoken to him in his office, but the result had been less than amiable. Fugaku vehemently denied the Uchiha's involvement in the attack or hiding the shinobi who had attacked Kakashi and rushed away into the Uchiha compound. Unlike the nice Hyuga who gave him a sacrifice when needed for the greater good of the village the last time, Fugaku refused to bend his knee as an Uchiha.

As a result he had ordered ANBU to tighten their watch of the distant Uchiha Compound.

'... Hmm… I should keep watch on this child… who knows when the Uchiha will gain another head and try to attack the child again…'

'If he truly is as valuable as his dream is, an ANBU squad should be enough to keep him safe.' It was only after nearly half a minute that Hiruzen finally regained his composure and coughed into his hand.

"That is a bright dream young man, and it is only right for those as bright and as young as you to dream on to lay the foundations for the future… I hope your dreams come true and your contribution to the village can eventually paint this vivid picture into reality."

"Thank you Hokage-sama. Your blessings are half the motivation needed to get me to the other side."

"Tell me Haruto-kun… how would you like working in the R&D department starting next week when you are discharged from the hospital?" Haruto was ecstatic. He let a wide smile show on his face as he immediately nodded, "That would be lovely if it happened Hokage-sama."

"Then so it shall be. I shall order a transfer for you and allow you to work under a skilled researcher. If you contribute enough to the next few projects we can look into working on your dream project with you as the lead."

"Yes Hokage-sama. That sounds fantastic. I will give it my best and try to exceed the expectations set for me." Hiruzen nodded, satisfied with Haruto's response before he gently brushed Haruto's hair and spoke in the same gentle tone he had always maintained throughout their conversation, "I look forward to your future exploits, Haruto-kun, don't disappoint me."

"I promise I won't Hokage-sama." And with that Hiruzen left the room, leaving a fervently smiling Haruto back in the hospital room who was trembling so much with excitement that it almost seemed like he would jump out of the bed and perform a short dance for everyone to see. It was only after a half an hour that Haruto finally calmed down when the nurse came in to give him his daily shot of medicine.

'Finally… I have in sight a means to get my hands on multiple jutsus… that way I can study openly and build up my forces until one day I can finally break out from this messed up system and forge my own pathway to the Dark God.'