The new option caught Ishiki off guard. He hadn't expected the Stand Draw System to allow him to retain the previous Stand after selecting a new one.
But truth be told, Whitesnake had lost its utility for the time being. Although Ishiki wasn't entirely sure if the Sharingan and Byakugan discs would vanish with the Stand switch, he thought it over carefully—and opted to replace it.
Because when he considered the potential of Moody Blues, ideas started flooding his mind.
If he could realize even half of them, Moody Blues would offer far more short-term value than Whitesnake.
The system didn't respond after his choice. It simply went silent.
Then, as if fading in from the edges of existence, an elegant humanoid figure of violet and grey manifested quietly at Ishiki's side.
Ishiki knew Moody Blues well.
Its "replay" ability wasn't exactly combat-friendly. In battle, the Stand was almost dead weight. But its user, Leone Abbacchio, had been a terrifying fighter even without it.
And Ishiki could never forget that iconic moment in Abbacchio's flashback—
"Abbacchio… you did your duty."That line, paired with the moment, hit Ishiki right in the heart.Classic Araki gut-punch. Beautiful and cruel.
To his surprise, switching to Moody Blues didn't erase his prepared discs. They were still intact.
However, he discovered something else—without Whitesnake, he could no longer extract or remove discs from his body.
Recently, Ishiki had been contacted by ANBU.They were investigating reports of a "perverted ghost" haunting the hospital—obviously a reference to Whitesnake's accidental appearances.
Because of this, Ishiki hadn't dared to swap discs lately. He stuck to the Sharingan disc, playing it safe.
Looking back now, that decision seemed smart.
He didn't know if the ANBU believed his feigned ignorance about the "ghost," but let them investigate all they wanted. Without hard evidence, they couldn't pin anything on him.
They weren't going to drag him in for a mind-reading interrogation just over rumors.Konoha's Torture & Interrogation Division had bigger fish to fry.
Sighing, Ishiki felt the strong urge to find a private space of his own—where he could train, experiment with Stands, and not worry about eyes on him.
He dismissed Moody Blues and began pondering how best to utilize its power.
The Stand's core ability was investigative replay.It could reproduce the exact events that happened to a person or object—playing them back from any moment in the past up to the present.
Meaning, with the right setup, Ishiki could witness the truth of any event.
For example: if someone dropped a wallet on the streets of Konoha, Ishiki could summon Moody Blues at the scene and rewind time until the exact moment the wallet was lost—watching it unfold again and again.
Naturally, his first thought was this:What if I replay the moment the Nine-Tails was sealed into Naruto?
Not because he wanted to see Kurama.But because he remembered that the Fourth Hokage had unleashed several powerful jutsu during that night.
If he could recreate those moments…Could he possibly learn them?
He wasn't aiming to master the Four Symbols Seal, Flying Thunder God Technique, or even the Reaper Death Seal…
…but if he could observe the hand signs, memorize the chakra flow—even gain insight into their mechanics—it would be an enormous gain.
Even if he could never use the Reaper Death Seal himself, just understanding its structure might open doors.
And it wasn't just about Minato.
The First Hokage, the Second, the Third—all legendary Konoha shinobi had lived and trained in this village. If he could find their training grounds, especially the lesser-known or abandoned ones, he'd hit the jackpot.
Moody Blues could also help him review his own training, analyzing weaknesses in form, chakra manipulation, hand signs—endless utility.
And if he needed information or secrets, the Stand's investigative replay would be priceless.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized—Moody Blues was a goldmine.
Heart pounding, Ishiki decided to investigate the site where the Fourth Hokage had finished sealing the Nine-Tails.
That battlefield was still marked by destruction. It hadn't yet healed with time. And while it lay a ways outside the village, he could reach it with some effort.
The problem?Konoha was still in emergency mode.Manpower was tight. Leaving the village without a mission would be difficult.
If he couldn't go out, then he'd focus on places inside the village—where past legends had lived and trained.
He began casually asking around the hospital—posing as a fanboy of the Hokage.
"The Hokage are the heroes of this village," he told an old lady. "I want to be like them someday. But my ninjutsu talent is too weak…"
The old woman wasn't a war casualty. She was a frequent visitor to the hospital.
In her prime, she'd been a skilled Jōnin. But she lost an arm and an eye on the battlefield and retired.
Ishiki spent time with her partly because she was lonely...and partly because she once lived near the Fourth Hokage's house.
That house had been left empty after Minato's death.
And just that morning, she'd noticed a "for rent/sale" sign hung on the gate. It left her feeling somber.
"Kushina and Minato were such good people," she said, eyes brimming with tears.
Ishiki wasn't focused on the sentiment.
He was thinking: rent.
Buying was out of the question. He didn't have that kind of money.But renting… that he could do. Especially since the house wasn't far from the hospital.
Still, he found it absurd.Minato had just died. His child was still alive. And already they were renting out his home?Unbelievable.
While on the subject of that child—Naruto Uzumaki—Ishiki had heard his name around the village.
Rumor had it that on the night of the Nine-Tails attack, the beast was sealed inside a newborn.That child's name: Uzumaki Naruto.
Ishiki had no strong feelings on the matter. Konoha had just faced a crisis. Enemies were circling. The village was vulnerable.
Without a Tailed Beast to deter enemies, war might have already resumed.
But even with the Nine-Tails contained, Ishiki figured peace wouldn't last.
Another war was probably only a month or two away.
And when it came, as a Medical-nin, Ishiki would be deployed to the front lines.
Which meant… every second of this fragile peace had to be used to grow stronger.
He pushed aside the chaotic thoughts.Whatever the Third Hokage was planning—it had nothing to do with him.
He bid the old woman a warm goodbye.
That night, Ishiki prepared to scout the Fourth Hokage's former residence—and, if he could, locate his training grounds as well.
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I will post bonus chapter if we reach 300 power stones !
300 power stones = 1 bonus chapter